


Meet the Family

by CCNSurvivor



Category: The Nanny
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-18 07:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3562070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CCNSurvivor/pseuds/CCNSurvivor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set several years after the end of The Nanny. Emily has some news for her divorced parents but she isn't all too sure how they will take it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Invitations

**Author's Note:**

> Just slowly starting to move my stories over here as well. Hope you enjoy. :)

Prologue:

They had made themselves as comfortable as possible on the carpeted floor in front of the fire place that had never fulfilled its purpose a day of its life. All around them were little towers of envelopes and cards and a trail of blue ribbon that could be followed into the kitchen where Jerry, their cat, had finally got bored of his new toy. Emily Brightmore reached for another card and then held out her hand for an envelope.

"Do you think anyone will actually be able to make it?"Matthew asked instead of handing her the needed item.

"It's in summer," she shrugged, pushing herself up so she could reach another small tower that was closer to her "people will be able to take time off."

"Yes, but will they be wanting to?" he insisted.

Emily's pale blue eyes flickered across the room as she contemplated this new question. "I'd say Clara and Sean and the rest of the guys would be happy to but then I'm not sure you're referring to them."

"I never said subtlety was my strong suit," he grinned and her eyes took on a softer expression once more.

"Our parents then?"

"Yeah," he shrugged and continued writing an address onto the envelope that was resting against his thigh.

"From what I've heard about yours they'll be delighted to make the trip from Florida."

"But yours won't," he commented, silently agreeing with her once more "your father still thinks I'm your housemate."

"Well, you are…in a way…" she laughed amused "he never would've allowed mom to get such a big house for myself. Besides trust me, it's for your own good. Dad practically drove my first boyfriend away and I don't think that four years would make a difference to him."

"But you're 20 now," Matthew chuckled.

"Yes and still studying…you're a distraction and I'm his little girl."

"Your mom doesn't seem to think so…"

"Well, my mom believes in the strength and self-control of women. But that still doesn't mean she'd be thrilled about our wedding…"

"Why not?" he plucked the card and the envelope that had been sitting untouched on her lap away and finished the task for her.

"Because she detests marriages. According to dad she never believed in them in the first place and I don't see their divorce helping matters."

Matthew took the time to put the finishing touches on the envelope he had just taken and then asked: "So why do we bother with it then?"

"That's a great attitude," Emily chuckled but navigated nonetheless through the stationery around them and to the safety of his arms.

"No I mean…why don't we just elope? It'll save us all the stress and if they're so against it in anyway?"

She smiled ruefully at his hopeful expression and leaned in further until their foreheads touched. "I still can't do that to them. They might be crazy but they're my family…"

Matthew mirrored her smile and tried comforting her with a few soft kisses pressed against her lips.

"And you're sure that this is the best way of letting them know?"

"Maybe not the best but it'll buy me more time…" she nodded and for a second both of them glanced at the two most recent envelopes on the pile, one addressed to someone in Los Angeles, the other one to somebody in New York.


	2. Mother of the Bride

Chapter 1:

The day started ordinarily enough for C.C. Babcock. Like most of New York she was up in the early hours of the morning, trying to make her way to the heart of the city where one of the theatres she had rented was located. But progress was slow because an unusually cold winter still held most of the East Coast in its firm grasp, dusting rooftops with snow and transforming roads into treacherous sledding chutes.

Her nails tapped impatiently against the side of the car until she realised that she was mimicking the rhythm of the song the taxi driver had chosen to play five times in a row now. Groaning to herself she thought that this would, no doubt, make a great addition to the medley of musical numbers that would be stuck in her head by the end of the day.

"Listen, Bucko," she said, leaning forward to rap her knuckles against the privacy glass of the car when he didn't show any signs of hearing her "I have to be somewhere."

"Don't we all, lady?" he shot back, annoyed at having to turn down the volume of what was clearly the most repetitive song in the history of music.

C.C. took a deep breath and flexed the hand that was resting on her lap once more.

"Yes well, it is your job to get me to said destination, preferably in time for my meeting." She informed him in the calmest but most patronising tone she could muster.

"Yeah but the roads are icy and there'll be no meeting if I deliver you in a body bag." He rolled his eyes at her and reached for the volume dial.

"I'll take the risk," she threw out quickly, fishing for her purse in her briefcase "I'll pay you extra. Just get a move on."

"As you wish, lady." He commented with a satisfied grin and instantly accelerated and changed lanes.

C.C. closed her eyes and prayed for patience, knowing that an argument with the insufferable man wouldn't help to improve her day.

Luckily, the financial encouragement seemed to have served its purpose as they finally arrived at the theatre several minutes later. C.C. absent-mindedly handed over the necessary cash and slipped out of the vehicle, her attention already focused on the poster that adorned the front of the building. Her forehead creased into a frown of displeasure and she quickened her strides until she reached the backstage area of the theatre. There, she paused momentarily to give her eyes the chance to adjust to the sudden darkness she had been plunged into.

"Melanie!" she called, hoping that the director hadn't left yet.

But when she received no answer she ventured out onto the stage where a cacophony of sounds was emanating from. Instead of finding her colleagues there, however, she was suddenly surrounded by a whole bunch of students who were noisily chatting and climbing ladders to adjust spotlights.

"What do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed loudly so that half the people around her of them was dangling so precariously from the ladder that the impending risk of a health and safety lawsuit made her feel sick to her stomach. "And get down," she added in a snappy voice.

"We're here to set up for our show," a teenage girl offered timidly.

"What show?" C.C. frowned and if it hadn't been for the poster at the entrance she would've questioned if she was at the right theatre.

"Browning Swings", another boy said "we talked to Mr Rogers and he said we could have the auditorium."

"Ah yes...yes…" C.C. sighed, suddenly remembering the deal that had infuriated her already months ago. Offering the theatre to a bunch of high school students just weeks before their show was about to open and forcing them to find alternative rehearsal spaces was lunacy. "Well, go on ahead…kill yourselves…" she muttered dismissively and went back the way she had come from.

She had just disappeared in the wings when the timid girl caught up with her. "Miss Babcock?"

C.C. turned and arched an eyebrow at her.

"Uh…Mrs Caulfield has left this note for you. Here you go."

Her smile was a mixture of shyness and adoration that C.C. would've come to associate with a fan if she had thought something like that to be possible. But as it was, she was severely disgruntled at having missed an important meeting, snatched the paper out of the girl's hands and headed outside into the cold to read the new information.

"Idiots…" she muttered frustrated and then tried several times to hail a new cab that would take her back uptown to the headquarters of Babcock Productions.

When she had returned to the city after her divorce from Niles had been finalised, one of her first decisions had been to rent a space as far away from her new penthouse as possible. As bitter as she'd been about the number of things that had gone wrong in California, she was also determined to get them right this time around. And one of the things that she considered part of their downfall was the close proximity of their house to the Sheffields. It had been all too easy for the former Nanny to request Niles' help with the twins, even when he was already off the clock and had his own family to look after. Likewise, it had been just as easy for her to hold late night meetings with Maxwell, knowing that she would be home in less than five minutes.

The building that she had discovered back then still served its purpose now and very much seemed to mirror her personality. It was minimalistic in style and very clear cut, with plenty of white walls and windows that offered views over the north end of Central Park. And as her business had picked up and become more successful, the number of rooms that they needed to rent had grown as well.

She paid the second taxi driver that day and then crossed the sidewalk to enter the building through its large glass doors. Another corridor and set of doors later, she finally reached the reception area of Babcock Productions.

"Is Allyson in her office?" she asked the woman who was behind the counter, not bothering to slow down her stride.

"Yes, Miss Babcock."

C.C. nodded to herself and then continued onward until the very end of the complex that her assistant had claimed as her own. She knocked briefly but entered without waiting for an answer.

"I'm surprised you're here already…traffic is supposed to be horrible," the brunette young woman tossed out, keeping her eyes fixed on her computer screen.

"Yeah well it is," C.C. sighed and slipped out of her long coat which she then flung haphazardly over the nearest chair "which is why I was late for my meeting at the theatre."

"And they'd all left already?" Allyson prompted and finally turned her attention to the tall woman at the other side of her desk.

"How'd you guess?" she asked dryly, not expecting an answer but her assistant was all too eager to give her one nonetheless.

"Well, one of your favourite hobbies is dragging out meetings to make sure that even the last person in the room is agreeing with you."

"It's called being assertive," C.C. tossed out but Allyson continued.

"And you're in a particularly shitty mood today, dripping water all over my floor which means that your shoes and pants didn't have the time to dry off yet."

"Alright, alright Allyson, stop acting like such a smartass!" C.C. interrupted once more, but firmer this time "I get it, you know me well."

Instead of being offended by her tone, Allyson only grinned. "So anything I can help you with?"

"Other than your gentle, caring words you mean?" C.C. challenged with the raise of an eyebrow that made her assistant snort.

"Yeah, like something practical."

C.C. ran a hand through her hair and tried to remember why she had sought her out, other than to get some complaints off her chest. "Actually, yes, there is. They still have the wrong poster up at the front of the theatre. It needs to be changed asap and I am sick and tired of sending them memos. So you could make my life a lot easier by chasing them down and making sure that poster gets changed today."

"I will," Allyson smiled "anything else?"

"No, that's it. In the meantime I'll go and get that meeting re-scheduled which is going to be an absolute nightmare because the theatre owner was stupid enough to rent out the space to a bunch of school kids."

"It's nice to see you're so invested in the performers of the future," Allyson commented dryly, lifting up the receiver of the phone but C.C. only chuckled, waved her off and then left the office.

* * *

It had been dark for a while by the time she made it home but the smell of food that wafted towards her as she entered through the front door helped ease some of the tension from her body.

"Did you cook?" she called out surprised while hanging up her coat and kicking off her shoes.

"Yes, my afternoon class got cancelled so I had enough time on my hands."

"That's certainly good news after the day I've had," she murmured and walked into the living room to give her boyfriend a kiss.

Although the word "boyfriend" seemed the wrong term to describe him. While the word was apt enough at capturing the essence of their relationship, a different kind of man came to her mind when she thought about a boyfriend. Certainly not the grey-haired college professor with the thick-rimmed glasses who was residing on her couch right now.

"Did you leave some for me?" she asked and continued on to the kitchen, ignoring the stack of mail on the coffee table.

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't I?" he asked, barely lifting his nose out of his book.

"Oh right…I forget, you never had to share your house with an insatiable Jewish woman, having to fight for every last crumb of food."

"That's quite a racist comment, isn't it, darling?" he called out, although his blasé tone indicated that he didn't seem to have taken serious offence.

"Probably," C.C. shrugged and turned the heat on under the saucepan "but it's also accurate."

His silence told her that he had become engrossed in his book once more and so she busied herself getting plate and cutlery ready and picking out a wine to go along with the meal. But when the cork proved too stubborn to deal with she went back into the living room – ignoring the distinctly British voice that was expressing its surprise, considering her experience with wine and spirits – and held the bottle out to Richard.

"I'm going to need a hand…"

He looked up at her, smiled briefly, put the book aside and took over bottle and corkscrew. "How was your day?"

"Nothing short of hellish…as always," C.C. muttered and turned around to clear the table "how about yours?"

"Pretty average too…the cancellation aside…It just shocks me every day how little interest these kids have in the Etruscan Wars. I personally find it fascinating."

She nodded absent-mindedly and rifled through the mail until she came across a small, square envelope that was addressed to her but in a hand-writing that she didn't recognise.

"What's this?" she turned to face him again, holding the item up in the air.

Richard momentarily stopped talking and his mouth continued to hang open for a few seconds longer as if his mind had difficulty returning to the present year. "I don't know…it was addressed to you so I didn't open it."

C.C. nodded to herself and sighing impatiently ripped open the envelope. "It's an invitation…" her eyes flew over the card "a wedding invitation…to my daughter's…" She trailed off.

"Isn't that good news?" Richard smiled.

"Do I look as if I consider it to be good news?" C.C. snapped, clenching her free hand at her side.

"No…no you do not…" he agreed, eyeing her pensively "I had no idea she was engaged."

"Neither did I…oh this better be her father's weird sense of humour rearing its ugly head." C.C. muttered and started trudging towards the bedroom, picking up the phone along the way and paying no attention to the soup that had begun boiling over on the stove where she had left it.


	3. Father of the Bride

Chapter 2:

Matthew had just made himself comfortable on the couch, propping his feet up against the table (a habit Emily found disgusting) when the phone rang.

"You go and answer it, Jerry." He instructed but the cat that was curled up next to him didn't even bother to lift its head. "Lazy," he nudged him and then stretched out over the armrest of the sofa to pick up the phone. "It's still no to the onion rings, Em."

"The onion rings should be the least of your concerns, young man." A stern voice at the other end of the line remarked and he swallowed and instantly sat up straighter.

"Miss Babcock…"

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"Uh well…" he hesitated, his gaze shifting hopefully towards the door "I assume you've got your invitation."

"She must be with you because of your smarts," C.C. commented dryly "yes of course I have received it. What has happened to the good old convention of asking for permission first?"

"Then we would've had to contact Mr Brightmore…traditionally speaking…" he pointed out nervously, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that he was only making things worse.

"Look, Miss Babcock, we really didn't mean to offend you. Emily just thought it would be easier to let everyone know at once. There really isn't that much to explain…we are in love and we want to get married."

"You've met each other two years ago," C.C. commented sharply.

"Yes and I already know that I wanna be with her for the rest of my life, isn't that great?" he tried hopefully.

"That's one word for it…" C.C. muttered and took a deep breath "based on the onion ring comment I presume my daughter isn't home?"

"No, she's out getting dinner…"

"Obviously…have her call me when she gets back?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded, unable to see that at the other end of the line C.C. was rolling her eyes.

"No brownie points for calling me that either, Matthew. Goodbye…"

"Bye," he mumbled but she'd already hung up. Taking another deep breath he tossed the phone onto the pillow next to him and glowered at Jerry. "Told you, you should've answered it…"

Several minutes later he finally heard a car pull up in their driveway and then Emily appeared, carrying two grease-stained bags.

"So I know you have some weird issues around onion rings but I bought some in anyway…they're from Conrad's so they're bound to be good and-" she kicked her shoes off and then looked up at him "What's wrong? Did Jerry throw up another hair ball?"

"Your mother just called," he offered with a half amused and half pained smile.

"Oh…" her eyes flickered away and she busied herself placing the food on the table "those first class stamps were probably really a bad idea…"

"She isn't pleased…"

"What else is new?"

"And she wants you to call her back…"

"Well, I'm eating first," Emily insisted stubbornly and plopped down on the sofa much to the annoyance of Jerry, who finally lifted his head to give her an irritated look, then seemed to catch a whiff of the food and nonchalantly used the edge of the table to stretch out his paws while eyeing the buffet greedily.

"Don't even think about it," Matthew said and scooped him up by his belly to set him down on the floor "oh and next time I'll do the food run."

"Why?" she frowned, guiding a slice of pizza to her mouth.

"Because if your mother is already this pissed off about it, I don't want to be around when your dad finally calls."

* * *

Several miles further west, Niles Brightmore was still blissfully unaware of his daughter's upcoming nuptials. Even a day later the news hadn't reached him yet. Instead he was spending another sunny afternoon outside by the pool, fishing leaves out of it and making sure it was otherwise clean and in usable condition. It was a new addition to his task list in L.A. but one that he didn't mind so much. Sometimes the sunshine was the only thing that could cheer him up. Guiltily he glanced back at his house, knowing that he couldn't put off the phone call much further. Alice – the woman he'd been seeing for several months now – would want an answer as to whether he wanted her around or not that day. She'd be hinting at it for the past few days but he'd been unable to accept or decline. Niles threw the net aside and crouched down with a sigh so that he was sitting at the edge of the pool, his feet dangling in the water. Although he would've liked her around for company that evening he also knew that she would be asking for some kind of commitment sooner or later and that would be the moment he'd inevitably lose her.

When Emily had finally left the house at the age of 18 and moved to Georgia to pursue her studies there, he had been hit hard by the silence that had descended upon him. Even after C.C. had left him and moved back to New York it hadn't been this bad, because he had still had his daughter to keep him company and the Sheffields with their noisy twins next door. But Jonah and Eve were a year older than Emily and had flown the nest – much to their mother's dismay – even sooner. And even though they were both studying at UCLA and often made it a habit to drop in unannounced the whole dynamic had changed. He had depended on that sense of normalcy, something old and familiar when C.C. had shaken the very foundations of his life with her departure. Granted, it had been a drawn-out process rather than an impulsive decision but he had still been completely unprepared for that sense of failure that had overcome him while signing the divorce papers and setting his ring aside on the nightstand.

In the 13 years that he had been a single father it had never once occurred to him to start dating other women. His life had been consumed by his responsibilities, both as a butler and as a parent, and it had made him happy enough to attend to everybody's needs. It was only when Emily had gone off to University, when the rafts and beach balls had disappeared from the pool and the leaves and wilted flower blossoms had taken their place, that he realised how little he had taken care of his own needs in the meantime. Perhaps it had been a natural consequence then that he had met Alice a while later and had instantly started to cling onto her as desperately as he had done to his daughter before. He liked having someone that kept him company at the house again, as much as he liked heading into L.A. with her and watching movies and discovering new restaurants. But what he most enjoyed about her was that even after their fifth date, she didn't ask him to be exclusive (not that he would've been on the lookout for other women) or labelled their relationship in any other way. Romantically he was completely unattached, but on a different level he was desperate to keep her around. Nonetheless, he was still determined not to lead her on any further.

The sound of doors slamming and loud laughter that emanated from the Sheffield's house, told him that the twins had dropped by for yet another unexpected visit. With Maxwell at the studio and Fran out as well, he figured it was up to him to provide them with a snack that would tie them over until dinner time. Reluctantly, he withdrew his feet from the nice cool water, rolled his pants back down and walked over to the terrace doors where he had discarded his socks and shoes.

Inside, Eve was nosily rifling through the stack of mail that she'd brought in while continuously shooting glancing at her brother. "And?"

"Nothing," the tall, dark-haired boy shrugged "mom must've cleaned everything out."

Eve shrugged and twirled a strand of her equally dark but straightened hair around her finger. "She did say she'd find a way to stop us from coming by, stealing some snacks and then leaving again without having dinner with her."

Jonah rolled his eyes and sank down at the kitchen table with a dramatic sigh. "I was going to take Janet down to Malibu Beach today…"

"Emphasis on "was"," Eve interrupted with a snort "probably for the best. Dad wouldn't be pleased with you if you failed this year again because you're too busy flirting with girls."

"Well, he can just relax…I'm only there to show her that perfect photo place I've discovered."

"Yeah right…" Eve laughed again "and then you will both conveniently tumble in the sand and end up on top of each other."

"If she happens to be so clumsy…I can't help it…" he said and gave his sister a cocky grin that didn't cover the fact that he was blushing.

"As long as you don't try to imitate dad's accent again…"

"Well, it's better than ma's…" he muttered.

There was a moment of silence in which only the rustling of paper could be heard as Eve worked her way through the envelopes but then she let out an excited squeal. "Oh…oh… letter from Emily!"

"How do you know?" Jonah frowned and snatched it out of her hands "It doesn't have a return address on it."

"No but a stamp that says Georgia, you shmendrick." She took it back and turned it around in her hands "Looks fancy…I wonder what's inside."

"My bet would be a letter, Sherlock."

"Yeah yeah…" she waved her hand dismissively "now if I just…carefully…"

And she trailed off while her fingers gently tried to pry the envelope open. But when she had finally succeeded, they could hear Niles calling out for them.

"Better hurry up," Jonah grinned as Eve fished out the delicate invitation.

"No way!" she then exclaimed loudly "Your old flame's getting married!"

"No way," he repeated, blowing caution to the wind and snatching the envelope out of her hands once more "who's the guy? Has she told you anything about this?"

But he never received an answer to his question because Niles had entered the kitchen. At first he greeted both of them with a happy smile, but then his eyes fell onto the stack of mail, the opened envelope in Jonah's hand and the guilty look that was written all over the twins' faces.

"What have you two been up to?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

The twins exchanged a nervous glance and then Jonah blurted out: "Eve went through your mail."

"I didn't!" she exclaimed "Technically it's our mail too…I just," she swallowed and hastily added "I just spotted a letter from Em…I was curious."

Niles sighed and took the envelope out of her brother's hand, muttering absent-mindedly "Didn't your mother ever teach you how to steam open…" But then he stopped abruptly when he realised what exactly he was holding in his hands.

"Emily has a boyfriend?" he asked shrilly, as if it was the worst thing in the world.

"We didn't know either," Jonah hurriedly threw in and Eve shook her head as if to emphasise this point.

"Go and fix yourself a snack," Niles instructed distractedly "your mother has moved everything up to her room and tried to cram it into her mini fridge. I have to talk to my daughter…"

And without wasting another second the twins hurried away.


	4. The Guest List

Chapter 3:  
  


Emily and Matthew were enjoying a peaceful morning in bed together with the phone still unplugged since Emily had finally stopped arguing with her mother the previous night.

"I still think we should switch it back on," Matthew mumbled eventually, drawing her closer to his chest.

"Not yet…unless you're ready to hear from my dad…"

"No but  _my_  parents might want to talk to us too…to, you know, congratulate us."

"That would make a nice change," Emily chuckled tiredly "I just don't get her problem…it's not like  _she's_  getting married again. And she's always liked you…she honestly doesn't have a point."

Matthew eyed her carefully and then mumbled: "Perhaps you're both just a little too stubborn to listen to each other properly."

"Just for that comment alone I'll make you talk to my dad," Emily threatened.

But before the situation could escalate into a fight, Matthew knew how to calm her down and distract her so that by the evening they were continuing to plan their wedding again. Emily was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her laptop on her lap, browsing different websites, while Matthew had squeezed himself into a small corner of the sofa that wasn't covered in leaflets and brochures.

"Who would've thought that there'd be so many venues to choose from here in Madison?" he sighed.

"You make it sound as if it's such a small town," she chuckled "and lots of options are never bad. That way we can find a pretty one that's still affordable."

"If they aren't all booked out already for the date we've picked. I still think it would've been smarter to book the venue first and then invite people."

"Hey, don't blame this on me," she frowned up at him "you were getting just as caught up in all the excitement."

"I know…I know…" he lifted his hand and sighed "what about this one then?"

Emily turned a little bit further and took the brochure out of his hand.

"Trinity Baptist Church," she then read and frowned "I didn't know you were contemplating churches."

"Well, I mentioned it before," he hummed with a little grin.

"Yeah but I thought you were joking…why a church? Coz it's more romantic?"

"No because God beware that would be awful!" Matthew exclaimed in mock horror and promptly earned a slap and a chuckle from his girlfriend.

"So?"

"Well, my parents got married in a church and it looked so beautiful and peaceful in the photos…" he mumbled a little embarrassedly.

"Oh…well…I suppose we could look into it…" Emily hastily amended who was beginning to feel guilty.

"Or we could have a wedding officiant and do it somewhere else entirely…"

"Not a bad idea either," she smiled and nodded but didn't get any further when the telephone rang. "You didn't…" she sighed exasperatedly.

"It could be my parents, you know?" he pointed out again.

"So are you gonna take the risk and find out?" she challenged, reaching out and then offering the phone to him.

"No way in hell," he muttered and leaned as far back as possible.

"Coward," Emily mouthed although she was primarily amused at watching him squirm like that and then picked up "hello?"

"Hello, darling…"

She swallowed, her amusement evaporating almost instantly. "Hi dad…"

He sounded subdued and disappointed and somehow that was making her nervous. Why couldn't he just yell at her like her mother had done?With a last glance at Matthew who seemed to try to become one with the sofa, she got to her feet and retreated to their bedroom.

"I guess you got the invitation?"

"Yes…just now…Jonah and Eve found it before I did. So you're getting married?"

"Yes…looks like it," she mumbled.

She hated that he could make her feel so sublimely uncomfortable. If only he could've yelled at her…that way she could've gotten mad as well, things would've escalated and nothing would've felt out of the ordinary. But with his silence he was putting her on the spot, waiting for her to fill in the blanks and she'd never been good at that, not when she wasn't entirely certain of his feelings.

"You're probably wondering who I'm getting married to," she ventured, cringing inwardly at the awkwardness of her words.

"Yes," Niles agreed quietly.

"Well…uh…his name is Matthew and I met him two years ago when I started here. He um…he's a Junior now…studying arts and he's just really cool."

"I see," he said and then sighed deeply "and why have you never told me about him?"

"I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Emily mumbled curling up around Jerry who frequently inhabited their bedroom when they weren't in it "it's just that last time things went so wrong…"

"What do you mean?" Niles frowned.

"Oh c'mon, Pop…Connor? Remember him?" she paused and ran a hand through Jerry's thick fur "You were all super protective."

"I care about my daughter…is that so bad?"

She could practically hear him pouting over the phone. "No, it isn't…but when you ask him over for dinner the whole time…or…or…ask me to keep my door open when he's staying over and then suddenly develop an urge to vacuum that exact corridor…things…things just get awkward then."

"I see," he sighed once more and then cleared his throat "I'm sorry, Emily, I didn't realise I was making you feel so uncomfortable."

"I know…I know…and I should've told you about Matthew but…well, I'm so far away from home and our chats were always so pleasant so I guess I just didn't wanna ruin that."

"And you're sure he's the right one?"

"Positive," she nodded.

"Because two years isn't such a long time…"

"Ugh…you sound like mom," she rolled her eyes "meanwhile, you two knew each other far longer than that and it still didn't work out."

"Thanks for the reminder," Niles commented dryly.

"You're welcome," she chuckled "so I just figure what the hell? If time isn't a valid factor then we might as well get married now and figure out along the way if it'll work or not. Worst case scenario: we get divorced."

The cool logic that she used reminded him painfully much of C.C. and he was dying to point out that divorces were never that simple. He wanted to tell her that they could turn ugly if not handled with the utmost care and that even the amicable ones came with great emotional pain and changes that just weren't so easy to adjust to. But she sounded so happy and convinced that he didn't want to upset her.

"So your mother knows about it as well then?" he asked instead and Emily heaved a deep sigh.

"Yes, unfortunately. We sent all the invitations out at once…"

"Did you hear that?" Eve questioned her brother in a whisper "She said they've sent all the other invitations out as well."

Jonah shrugged and switched off the intercom of their parents' bedroom from which they'd been spying on Niles.

"Don't you find that odd?" she continued and propped another Mallomar into her mouth.

"Not really," he shrugged again "I guess that's what everyone does, right? That way all the guests will receive the invitations at roughly the same time."

"Yeah, my point exactly," Eve rolled her eyes "we didn't have any mail this morning and in ma'n'pa's mail there was only this one letter, addressed to Niles."

"You mean we didn't get one?"

"Doesn't look like it," she frowned "maybe she finds it too weird to have her ex and her current one meeting at the wedding."

"Eve…we were like nine…stop exaggerating." Jonah chortled.

"Then why didn't she, huh? She's like our sister and we're practically mishpucha."

"Yeah…yeah…just wait until we get back to our dorm tonight. Maybe we're on the guest list, after all."

* * *

The following day and back in New York, C.C. was having similar concerns after a phone call had irritated her so much that she needed to seek refuge at her assistant's office first thing in the morning.

"Another cancelled meeting?" Allyson guessed while pouring her a cup of coffee as well.

"Worse…" C.C. muttered "my mother just called."

"Oh God," Ali groaned in sympathy "I thought she was off Island hopping with her butler."

"She is but apparently mail has reached the house about Emily's wedding and the other butler has informed her and so she naturally had to make time in her busy schedule to question my motherly skills."

"Hold on a second…Emily is getting married?"

"Yes, you can stop bobbing up and down now." C.C. commented, rolling her eyes "Matthew and her are still in that ridiculous honeymoon phase…they don't know what they're doing but of course they're willing to make a commitment."

"Some people feel when it's right, you know?" Allyson pointed out carefully but C.C. shook her head, abandoned her mug of coffee and paced over to the window.

"She is 20…she doesn't know."

"When your mother called this morning…did you remember to hang up after a while? Because I'm not sure if it's you I'm listening to or your mother's voice squeaking out of your pocket."

"What on earth was Emily thinking when she invited her?"

"Well, I'm not an expert but the few times I met your daughter she struck me as someone quite considerate. She doesn't want to step on anybody's toes."

"And the best way forward is by inviting a bunch of people who could make her day miserable? She should be able to enjoy it at least…everything from then on forth is going to be hard enough as it is."

She sighed and let her eyes follow the trail that the snowflakes drew in the wind.

"Who else is going to income?" Allyson inquired curiously, watching her boss's back.

"Oh I don't know…presumably my father, Noel…her friends…his family…"

"Niles?" Ali prompted.

"Yes, unfortunately he's a given…ugh he and my mother, at the same place, at the same time. I'm going to be in hell." C.C. groaned once more and ran a hand through her silver hair.

"Don't be so dramatic…it's one day and – your mother aside – you'll all be wanting what's best for Emily. Besides…I really think Niles is the one drawing the shortest straw here."

"Why?" C.C. asked sharply, tilting her head in the direction of her assistant.

"Well, with all the Babcocks there and you presumably accompanied by Richard…who will he have on his side?"

C.C.'s thoughts drifted guiltily towards Henry, Niles' father, alone in England and certainly too old to make such a long flight. She turned back to gaze outside the window, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Niles was sure…" she eventually brought out "he always used to tell me that he knew that we'd be great together, that we'd make it if I only gave him a chance. He never thought we could fail…"

She swallowed but kept her melancholy blue eyes trained on a spot outside the window.

"From what I've heard marriage can be pretty unpredictable," Allyson ventured carefully "and you can't blame her for wanting to try it out herself. Maybe instead of staying here and fretting over the what ifs you should just pay her an early visit, spend some quality time together and make sure she is as happy as possible before she starts down this big new path. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt her to know that in…some way or another…she has your blessing."

A small smile appeared on C.C.'s face again and when she turned around to face her assistant she was perfectly composed once more. "Thanks for reminding me why I've stopped seeing my therapist."

"Yeah…now if you'd only pay me as much, life would be swell." Allyson grinned.


	5. The Rings

Chapter 4:

After mulling her assistant's words over and after careful examination of her schedule, C.C. came to the decision that paying her daughter an early visit wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all. The invitations had stated that the wedding would take place on the 2nd August and so C.C. left once the last show of the season had celebrated opening night. She trusted Allyson to handle the press releases and any other issues that might arise and had taken a script along for the play that would open their season in October, figuring that she'd find enough time to make corrections and fax them over to New York.

Richard had taken her to the airport and would only join her in Georgia a week before the wedding because he was still busy teaching a summer program. This had simplified a lot of things for C.C.; most importantly saving her from coming up with an awkward explanation as to why she felt no desire to have him come along. She had been busy turning that question over in her head throughout the course of her flight but hadn't come up with an answer yet. She had only managed to identify that Richard felt like an intruder to the family, somehow. Catching a glimpse of her suitcase as it glided past her on the luggage belt, C.C. finally returned to the present and hurriedly grabbed it and yanked it off. Now she only had to collect her rental car and drive down to Madison.

The air felt more humid in Georgia even though the thermometer of the BMW indicated that it wasn't much warmer than in New York. Nonetheless, C.C. cranked the air con up higher and tapped her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel while trying to manoeuvre through the heavy traffic. It wasn't the first time that she had taken on this hour-long drive by herself but it still annoyed her every time to get stalled so long before she had even got anywhere. Fortunately, the airport was situated outside the city so that she didn't have to cross through the busy centre to make it to Madison but that didn't stop the interstate that encircled Atlanta from being clogged up as well.

She had chosen to stay at the Hampton Inn once more because it was the priciest (and therefore in C.C.'s mind the best) hotel in town but also because it was only a 10 minute drive away from Emily and Matthew's house. Unpacking her suitcase, she briefly wondered what Niles would say to it when he arrived. As far as she was aware, it had always been Emily who had flown out to Los Angeles in the past two years and he had no idea that she lived in her own house with her boyfriend, nor did he know that it had been C.C. who had paid for said house in the first place. But C.C. didn't care. It had taken her one look at the little bungalow, nestled between large pine trees and in walking distance to a lake, to make up her mind. And she knew that while she had many shortcomings, money wasn't one of them. So she had used these means of getting closer to her daughter, something Niles always seemed capable of achieving without having to use financial aid.

A quick shower and a change of clothes later, C.C. was on her way to Cedar Drive. The sun was already hanging lower in the sky and so she knew that they would only have time for a quick visit – perhaps long enough for Emily to digest this surprise – but all things considered she didn't mind. She had been working hard until the previous day and could use an early night.

Seeing a second vehicle in the driveway was quite unusual, but C.C. only surmised that they had friends dropping by or that Matthew had finally decided to get his own car. Slinging her handbag over one shoulder she stepped outside and walked up to the front door. The faint murmur of voices confirmed her first suspicion and she lifted her hand to knock. By the time her daughter had made it to the door, she had arranged her necklace and blazer.

"Mom!"

She had expected the shock but not that her daughter would turn a little off-colour as well.

"I can tell you're happy to see me," she commented dryly but leaned in nonetheless to press a light peck to her cheek.

"N-no…it's just…did you talk to dad?"

"Why would I?" C.C. hummed, her forehead creasing into a frown.

"Well, because he's here as well…" Emily explained sheepishly, opening the door further so that C.C. could see both Matthew and Niles on the sofa.

They were both sitting at either end of it, looking more comfortable making eye contact with her than with each other.

"I had no idea…" she eventually said when she realised that she had remained silent for too long. Her eyes briefly swept over her ex-husband and then focused back on her daughter.

"You could've fooled me," Emily grinned, clearly over the shock of having both of her parents suddenly in her living room "by the way…did you also call each other beforehand to co-ordinate your outfits?"

Niles and C.C.'s eyes met again, this time sizing up each other's clothes. And as it turned out, their daughter had made a valid point. Both of them had arrived clad in Jeans and a cream-coloured top, the difference between that Niles had chosen to open the topmost buttons of his, while C.C. had accessorised hers with a blazer instead. As if they reached the same conclusion at the same time, they snorted derisively and broke eye contact once more.

"Could you get me a drink?" C.C. then asked to bridge the awkward silence and set her handbag down by the door.

"Alcoholic or not?" Emily smiled and crossed the room behind the sofa, giving Matthew's shoulder a comforting squeeze in passing.

But before C.C. had the chance to answer, Niles had snorted once again and asked: "Is that even a question?"

C.C. shot him a dirty look and then squeezed herself onto the sofa as well, forcing Matthew to scoot closer to Niles.

"I can't believe you haven't invested in more chairs yet…" she muttered, looking around.

She didn't notice that her daughter was frantically shaking her head in the background.

"Can they even do that?" Niles asked.

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Well, it's a student accommodation. I'm sure even Babcocks can't just waltz in and remodel the whole place." he explained.

"Student accommodation…" C.C. muttered amusedly under her breath "so naïve…"

"Besides…I am a Brightmore…" Emily blurted out to drown out her mother's previous statement and then quickly pushed a glass of water into her hand, missing how the smug look on her face gave way to disappointment.

But Matthew who was sitting close enough and was focused enough to pay attention realised and quickly amended: "And that not even for much longer…" so that the whole room was plunged into awkward silence once more.

"You're going to take his name?" C.C. asked, taking a sip of her drink after a moment or two had passed.

"Is that so bad?" Niles challenged instantly and C.C. leaned forward to see him better, gauge his reaction and engage in battle if necessary.

"Depends on the man…" she then voiced pointedly "and sometimes it's good if we women don't give everything up in a marriage."

Matthew – caught in the firing line- instinctively leaned back and exchanged a nervous glance with Emily who had taken refuge on the floor.

"Yes because you sacrificed so much!" Niles scoffed.

"I did!" C.C. insisted, raising her voice as well "Or did you really think I wanted to get married over Nanny Fine's dilated cervix?"

"I thought we agreed?!" Niles exclaimed "You kept feeling nauseous and thought it was jitters and so we both decided to get married then and there. I would've loved a nice ceremony…perhaps even with my parents present."

"So I could've inherited more of your family's jewellery?" C.C. lashed out viciously but knew that she had gone too far when there wasn't an instant rebuttal and Niles only managed to swallow.

"You didn't have to keep the ring after the divorce if you didn't like it…" he eventually said in a much quieter voice.

She averted her eyes and took a sudden interest in her water glass again, too afraid to see how much damage she had done this time.

"Speaking of rings…" Emily spoke up again, but the smile on her face was more pained and forced than genuine "we haven't got ours yet and I really wanted Matthew to pick them."

"First test, huh?" C.C. asked carefully with a little smile.

"Something like that…" Emily nodded "but seeing as you're here now too, dad, perhaps you could accompany Matthew tomorrow and help him make a decision?"

"Of course, sweetheart, I'll make sure he gets you a nice one, don't worry." Niles replied with a wink.

"I am in the room, you know?" Matthew announced frustrated but C.C. only patted his knee.

"Get used to it."

* * *

"It was nice of you not to tell me about your plans to send me ring shopping with your dad…" Matthew complained the next morning over breakfast.

"Look, I said I'm sorry…" she sighed, with her spoon suspended in mid-air so that milk dropped back into and against the rim of her bowl, covering the table in little white splatters "it wasn't like I had planned it. You act as if I was conspiring against you when I didn't even know that my dad was going to drop by."

"Still…you put me on the spot," he pouted, taking a half-hearted second bite out of his toast.

"I didn't mean to. But you heard them bickering…things were threatening to turn ugly  _yet again_ …so I did what I have always done, I thought of a distraction."

"By using me as a buffer…"

She lowered her spoon completely and stood up from the table.

"Perhaps it was your turn to take one for the team," she snapped, impatiently.

Matthew hesitantly lifted his head, recognising that he had gone too far. Pushing back from the table as well, he approached her carefully and wrapped his arms around her middle.

"I'm sorry…" he murmured quietly into her ear "I know what you were trying to do. Just ask me first next time, okay?"

"I'll try…" and although her tone was still stand-offish he knew that she had already calmed down somewhat.

Carefully he turned her around in his arms so she was facing him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Think of this of a good opportunity to win over my dad, mmh?" she smiled at him when they parted.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed this or not but…I'm not particularly good at this sorta thing."

She chuckled and kissed him again. "True…but I still agreed to marry you. And listen, all dad really wants to be sure of is that-"

But he didn't find out what precisely that was because just then the doorbell rang.

"That'll be him," Emily announced quickly and pushed him away as if her dad could look through walls and see what they were up to.

Matthew just nodded to himself and fixed the hair tie that was securing his ponytail. Then he walked over to father and daughter who were still embracing and cleared his throat. "Good morning, Sir."

"Morning was four hours ago and don't call me "Sir", that's my father." Niles corrected him with a benevolent twinkle in his eyes "And don't look so stricken, I'm not the firing squad. Now come along."

Emily winked at him, pecked his lips a last time and then pushed the car keys into his hand. "Enjoy yourselves!"

Matthew's answer dissolved into a nervous smile while Niles only chuckled good-naturedly and they both climbed into the Ford.

"Is this your car or Emily's?" Niles asked when they had only pulled out of the driveway.

"We share it…" Matthew answered, setting course for the town centre.

"Ah…so her mother bought it," Niles commented with a knowing grin.

"Uh…um…well yes, Sir, but it's insured in both of our names and…"

"Matthew," Niles interrupted him "let me give you a bit of advice. You are marrying into a family of proud, strong women. If you value your sanity and don't wish to drown instantly you've got to learn to hold your own. If she's bossy, push her a little bit back. And likewise when I ask you a question, don't freak out. All I want is for my daughter to be happy and safe and I can already see that both of these things apply. Now relax and let us find that ring for her."

"Yes…thank you…" Matthew smiled and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

Whidby's was located just off of Madison Town Park and Matthew had to circle around for a bit before they found a parking spot. But at least it gave them some time to get to know each other better and Matthew discovered that they actually got on quite well. Emily's father didn't seem to disapprove of his choice of University program, only acknowledged that it would be difficult finding a job as an artist but insisted that he would make it work if he was dedicated and passionate enough.

"Take it from someone who knows," he finished when they were finally strolling down the street towards the Jeweller "nothing is worse than being stuck in a job that you absolutely loathe. It's not only frustrating but before you know it, it invades other aspects of your life as well."

Matthew wanted to inquire if this had been a contributing factor to his divorce but decided that perhaps they weren't close enough for that kind of conversation yet.

"Here we are," he instead announced, holding the door open for him.

"Pretty but small…" Niles hummed, taking a look at the vitrines.

"It's the biggest one in Madison," Matthew chuckled "if we don't find the right ring here we might have to drive to Atlanta."

"Let's hope we'll be lucky then…" Niles nodded.

They were alone for only a few seconds before a woman appeared from a door behind the counter.

"Hello there…how can I help you today?" she asked and smiled.

"I'm looking for a wedding ring and also a wedding band for myself." Matthew explained, stepping closer to the counter.

"Sure. Do you have any specific ideas yet? Should they be gold, white gold or silver?"

"I think we agreed on silver," Matthew answered, glancing at Niles as if to ask his permission but he only chuckled and shrugged.

"Lovely," the woman smiled and retrieved a set of keys "if you'll follow me over here I can show you our selection."

He took a moment to examine them all and came to the conclusion that it was surprisingly hard to make up his mind even when there were only about 20 rings to choose from. Finally, he picked two of them up and brought them over to Niles. "Which one do you think she'd like more?"

Niles lifted them up gingerly and eyed them both, taking in the crown cut of the one and the oval shape of the other.

"They're both very beautiful," he eventually commented and smiled "but let me guess. One is a diamond and the other is a gem stone?"

"Yes…" Matthew sighed deeply and twisted his hands "the difference is more than $1000."

"Bloody hell," Niles laughed and clutched at his heart "these things haven't got any cheaper."

"So what do I do now?"

"Well, Emily asked me to come along to help you out. So trust me when I say she's going to love them both."

"Yes but…she's getting married. Shouldn't the ring be something special?"

"That depends on the person," Niles shrugged "some people are looking for a shiny piece of jewellery, others for a different kind of symbol and my daughter certainly belongs to the latter category. The price tag won't make a difference."

"Are you sure? I mean our house…the car…"

"Everybody likes gifts, Matthew," Niles re-assured him "and her mother is more than well-equipped to give them. But Emily grew up with me and I'm only a butler so she learned to value other things as well."

"Are you saying that Miss Babcock is a snob?" Matthew asked with a small grin.

"Don't tell me you hadn't noticed before," Niles chuckled "of course she is. She's materialistic and infuriating but it's one of the attributes that made me fall in love with her."

"But you said you're only a butler…surely you were setting yourself up for a lot of frustration?" Matthew questioned.

"I'd like to call it giving myself a challenge," Niles replied with a playful grin and pushed one of the rings back into Matthew's hands "here…take this one and go and pick your own band now."

That decision, at least, turned out to be an easy one and so they left the store 15 minutes later with two rings in their pockets.

"I hope you don't mind me saying so," Matthew ventured carefully "but considering she's your ex-wife you still seem rather fond of her."

"A lot of things went wrong between us," Niles acknowledged with an almost loving tone of voice "but it doesn't erase the fact that C.C. is a special kind of woman."

"Perhaps you should invest in one of those fancy necklaces in there then and ask her to be your plus one for the wedding." Matthew grinned.

"What makes you think that I don't have one already?" Niles asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh well…Emily didn't mention that you were seeing anybody at the moment."

Niles' amused expression turned into a sheepish one. "Uh…what do you say we go and grab a slice pizza over there and have a little chat, mmh?"

And never one to pass up an opportunity to satisfy his curiousity, Matthew quickly agreed.


	6. The Wedding Planner

Chapter 5:

Contradictory to her thoughts the previous day, C.C. had found it difficult to fall asleep. As it turned out, no amount of work-related fatigue could rival the levels of ex-husband induced stress. And so her night had been a short one. She had spent the wee hours of the morning in a state of semi-consciousness, occasionally listening to whatever program was currently airing on TV (and even barely awake like that she had still found enough time to pity Maxwell for having switched to this medium of entertainment).

Eventually she had clambered out of bed and rummaged in her suitcase for the script she had taken along but looking at it now it seemed she hadn't made any kind of progress. The script still lay opened on page five with a little black stain where her pen had been resting. Impatiently, she withdrew it and put the lid back on before it could do any further damage. She knew that her thoughts had been with Niles and their terrible timing, a topic she was likely to focus on for a little while longer. And as loath as she was to admit it, she did feel guilty for the way things had escalated between them. There was a part of her that tried to argue that she'd simply been caught off-guard and that nothing would've happened, if he hadn't been so pushy and challenging in the first place. But of course she knew that she was just lying to herself. Even if she would've known that Niles had been there, they would've ended up on one precarious topic sooner or later.  
If only she was better at controlling her temper, then she certainly wouldn't have made that stupid comment about his grandmother's ring. With a deep sigh she came to realise that perhaps it wasn't surprising that he had been so quick to be defensive…not when she considered the amount of things she had thrown at him in the past.

The five years following their divorce had been the hardest ones in C.C.'s life. Not only did she have to come to terms with what it truly meant living on the other side of the country from her daughter, but Niles and her also had to try and navigate difficult occasions such as birthdays and holidays. And as it had turned out, neither one of them was particularly good at that. When Niles and Emily visited her in New York, it felt awkward having him around the house again when she had come to learn to live her own life once more. And when she had visited them in Los Angeles, she had felt like an intruder to the life she had left behind. Not to mention the silly fights they had managed to get into over the years, usually centring on traditions and the appropriate sizes of gifts. Now C.C. knew that they had each been trying to combat their own insecurities, both afraid to disappoint their daughter when all that Emily had really wanted was for her family to spend a couple of days together in peace and harmony.

Unaware of this at the time they had come to the conclusion that spending holidays together wasn't a viable option anymore and so when Emily had become a teenager, they had seized the opportunity to spend the vacations apart. Of course this had brought along a whole new host of complications. C.C., never a big fan of Christmas, had agreed to let Niles have this vacation. She couldn't have imagined just how miserable it would make her to be alone again. For a while she tried consoling herself by thinking about New Year's and all the fun she'd be having with Emily then but even that didn't help fill the silence that had usually been drowned out by the sound of wrapping paper being torn apart and gleeful laughter. The last thing she wanted was for Emily to be as sad on her wedding day as she had been on all those Christmases.

Without giving it much further thought, she reached over to the nightstand and picked up the phone.

"Babcock Productions, how can I help you?" a chipper voice chimed at the other end of the line and C.C. half-groaned.

"By not being so goddamn happy first thing in the morning? It's sickening."

"Ah…" Allyson chuckled "was your daughter not happy to see you?"

"Why?" C.C. frowned.

"Well, why else would you be calling me in such a crappy mood? Unless you miss me, of course."

"I'll have you know that it's neither. If anything, I'm concerned about your ability to handle the press."

"Please," Allyson snorted "the only reason you left so early is because you know that I  _can_  handle them just fine. As if you would've taken off on vacation if there had been the slightest doubt on your mind."

"Well, there is now," C.C. insisted stubbornly "besides, I've managed to read through the script for "Hummingbird" and have made several corrections. So I also wanted to give you a heads up that I'll fax them over soon."

"That's interesting…because you're usually not considerate enough to give me a warning. Normally the work just starts mysteriously piling up on my desk."

"Perhaps that's just the case because you're too busy with other things?" C.C. commented "But that's beside the point. How has the press responded?"

"Largely positive," Allyson answered, switching over to business mode "but then we had assumed so…it's a good, solid play. They aren't bowled over by it but they acknowledge we have a good production team and an experienced cast so ticket sales shouldn't be an issue."

"Good," C.C. nodded "any negative comments?"

"Of course…from the usual sources. Some had valid points that I've taken a note of for future productions…others I have already issued a reply to."

"Sounds like you've got it all under control," C.C. conceded with a little smile, proud to have found and trained Allyson to such a good standard.

"As if there was ever any doubt," she chuckled "so how is Georgia? Are you in your mini skirt sipping cocktails?"

The question was so absurd that C.C. snorted with laughter. "I don't think I've ever owned a mini skirt in my life."

"Don't start now," her assistant tossed out cheekily.

"I see someone is angling for a wage cut," C.C. warned her good-naturedly.

"You could never afford to lose me. But seriously, how is Emily? Was she happy to see you?"

"Well…she wasn't excited…But I don't think I would've felt any form of excitement if my mother had suddenly turned up at my door."

"Then what's upset you?" Allyson asked carefully, knowing that the wrong wording could be enough to send C.C. into lockdown once more.

"It seems my ex-husband had the same idea…"

"Niles is there?" her assistant probed and then chuckled humourlessly "Poor Emily…"

"Poor Emily?" C.C. exclaimed "She gets on well with her father. Poor me walking into a house that has conspired against me."

"Please C.C., you have got to find a way to stop your mother from infiltrating your brain. No-one is conspiring against you…it's just a highly uncomfortable situation, I'd imagine."

"I wanted time with her, Ali…" she reminded her, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat "and you can correct me all you want, I  _know_  who my daughter prefers. And the way things went yesterday I can't really blame her…"

"What do you mean?" her assistant frowned.

"We got into a fight. Well, not a full-blown argument just…a kind of discussion. But I said something stupid to him…something hurtful that I didn't really mean."

"Well, tell them that?"

"Allyson please…it is hard enough talking to you about it. I'm not the type of person to show remorse. If I've upset someone then they're just being too sensitive to deal with the truth."

"Well, if you're that kind of person then I feel very sorry for you," Allyson voiced gently "because that must be pretty damn lonely."

"I don't want to ruin her wedding…" C.C. sighed deeply.

"Then go to her and tell her. Don't waste your time and courage on me, I'm not your daughter, go and talk to her."

"It's pathetic, isn't it?" C.C. asked bitterly and hung up, resting her face in her hands for a few seconds. As much progress as she'd made over the years in therapy, she'd never learned why it was so difficult to open up to the people that really mattered to her.

* * *

About an hour later she arrived in front of her daughter's door once more, slightly distracted still. She knocked and smoothed her skirt down, her thoughts flickering from Niles to the wedding to a possible apology.

"Mom, hi!" Emily announced, sounding surprised but much happier than the previous day.

"I was wondering if you'd like to do something…unless you're busy with Matthew or your dad, of course."

"They're ring shopping together, remember?" Emily asked, smiling at her but with a light frown because she'd never seen her mother so forgetful before.

"Oh yes…yes…of course…" C.C. nodded "So you're free then?"

"Sure," Emily smiled broader now, ushering her inside "What did you wanna do?"

"Well…I was thinking…" C.C. paused, trying to come up with a quick suggestion "that you could use me as your wedding planner."

"Wedding planner?" Emily echoed and laughed so suddenly and loudly that Jerry hopped off the sofa and disappeared in the bedroom "You're like the last person I'd picture as a wedding planner."

"Why?" C.C. frowned, putting a hand on her hip.

"Well for starters, you hate weddings!" Emily reminded her, still chortling with laughter.

"Doesn't mean I couldn't handle it…" C.C. muttered defensively "I basically plan things for a living."

"Yes, theatre productions, mom…stuff that you're passionate about. You'd take one look at my wedding catalogue and you'd have enough."

"That's not true," she crossed her arms and then continued determined when Emily didn't budge "I'll prove it to you. You haven't got your rings yet…what else is there?"

"We've booked our venues," Emily started to explain slowly "we have all the invitations and Matthew has a rough idea what he'd like to wear and how his best man should look…"

"Do you have a dress yet?" C.C. interrupted impatiently.

"Uh…no…" Emily replied somewhat sheepishly "I did go and look once with Clara in Athens but there really wasn't that much choice. And since then I've been pretty much stuck with Matthew and it's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding…"

"Trust me, darling, when entering a marriage bad luck should be the least of your concerns." C.C. muttered dryly.

"That!" Emily pointed out, shaking her finger at her "That's exactly what a good wedding planner doesn't do. You should be excited for me and the wedding instead of undermining it with your doubts and bullshit. Just because you failed to keep dad happy doesn't mean I'll have to fail as well!"

Her daughter's words hit C.C. right in the chest and for a few brief moments she was unable to produce any words. Finally, she managed to wrangle a smile onto her face and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Emily, perhaps you were right and it was a bad idea. I'll leave you to your planning." And reacting the only way she knew, C.C. turned and bolted out of the door again.


	7. The Dress

Chapter 6:  
  


"You sure you don't wanna try some with extra cheese?" Matthew asked, lifting his slice of pizza in the air.

Niles risked a longing glance at him but then shook his head reluctantly.

"I can't…unfortunately I have to watch my heart," he mumbled "and I'm already pushing it by having greasy food…let's not tempt me further."

They were sitting in a corner booth of That Pizza Place, just down the road from Whidby's, not a place Matthew had ever thought he'd be taking his future in-law to.

"So you were saying you have a plus one for the wedding?" he reminded him, still chewing on his pizza.

"Yes, I've been seeing someone since Emily's left for college." Niles nodded, pushing his plate away as if he'd suddenly lost his appetite.

"Seeing as Em's never mentioned her before I'm thinking she has no idea?" Niles sighed and shifted uncomfortably on the bench.

"No…I made sure that Alice wasn't around when she came for a visit. I'm just afraid how she'd respond to it."

"Why?" Matthew asked, devouring the next slice as quickly as the first "Her mother's been seeing someone for a while and she doesn't seem that bothered to me."

"Ah yes, the professor," Niles scoffed amused and took a sip of his drink "well, I don't know. Maybe she will be alright with meeting Alice. I just worry because she grew up with me that maybe she'll feel more…possessive, I guess. It sounds silly when I say it out loud."

"Nono…I get it," Matthew shrugged "I think I've read somewhere that girls are more…I dunno territorial…they feel threatened when there's another woman in the house who might replace her."

"And she is still C.C.'s daughter…" Niles hummed pensively "sometimes when she feels strongly she doesn't know how to articulate what's going on and I'm afraid it would change our relationship."

"Don't you think you should tell her then, rather than surprise her at her wedding?" Matthew questioned, dabbing haphazardly at his mouth with a napkin "Coz these sudden surprises really don't seem to be working."

"Yes…maybe…" Niles mumbled but was unable to make up his mind just yet.

Matthew looked around the room as the silence stretched out, realising just how inapt he was at giving advice and how likely it was that he'd already made things worse now. Eventually he cleared his throat and asked: "Are you done? We can get it to go if you want?"

"Oh I don't really fancy heating up pizza…besides I don't have a microwave either."

"Then take it along for Emily. She'll go nuts, I promise you."

"Alright then," Niles chuckled "you sound very convinced. Let's take it to go then."

Fifteen minutes and a check later, they were on their way back to Cedar Drive.

"Will you show Emily the ring now for inspection?" Niles grinned.

"I think so," Matthew nodded "I do want her to like it and it's only bad luck to see the dress and not the ring."

"That's certainly true…" Niles agreed "and if anything it could turn out to be bad luck if she sees the rings  _at_  the wedding and hates them."

"Don't want to be left at the altar," Matthew chuckled and nodded and then pulled up in the driveway.

They both climbed out and made their way to the front door, where Matthew let them in.

"Hello sweetheart…sweetheart?" Niles frowned, the smile vanishing from his face in an instant "What's wrong?"

Emily sat huddled in a corner of the sofa, her knees drawn to her chest, looking decidedly miserable. "Mom came by and we got into a fight…"

"What happened?" Niles asked, striding over to her and taking a seat on the armrest of the sofa so he could bring her closer for a hug.

"She wanted to hang out and things were going fine but then she suddenly offered to be my wedding planner and I pointed out that she might not be the most suitable person for it…"

"Let me guess…she didn't take it well?" Niles prompted.

"She wasn't that bothered…but she didn't get my point either. And then she started on her whole "marriage is for suckers" bullshit and I called her out on it."

"Oh," Niles sighed, realisation slowly dawning on him "and how exactly did you phrase that?"

"I told her that it was her fault your marriage failed and that I won't be making the same mistakes…"

"You're a Babcock alright…" Niles muttered under his breath but placed a kiss to her temple nonetheless.

"I didn't mean it! At least not like that. Now I've made things worse."

"Go and talk to her then? I presume you know where she's staying."

"Well, I do but…I'm scared…things always escalate between us. Can't you go?" she pleaded.

"Ah yes…because every conversation I've had with your mother was a walk in the park."

"You know what I mean, dad," Emily sighed "You can make her listen."

"Alright, alright…" he lifted up one hand and then ran the other through his greying hair "where is the staying?"

"At the Hampton Inn."

"Of course…where else?" he rolled his eyes "And how do I find it?"

"It's at Eatonton Road. If you follow the 441 south you should see the signs."

"I'll try and get the navi to work…" he muttered and headed for the door, clapping Matthew on the back in passing "See you later."

* * *

The exterior of the Hampton Inn looked far less pompous than he had imagined. C.C. had always stayed at the finest, the fanciest hotels and this one was definitely more akin to a motel than to a palace. Even the lobby was lacking in grandeur, furnished as it was to the bare minimum. Nonetheless, he was soon spotted by a smartly dressed man who smiled to reveal a row of perfectly white teeth. "How can I help you, Sir?"

"I'm here to see C.C. Babcock, she's staying at one of your rooms. Perhaps you could help me out?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, unfortunately we are prohibited to hand out private information." the receptionist replied politely and Niles sighed, tugging at the hem of his shirt.

"Oh it's not a problem," he said, keeping his voice confident "I'm her husband, she's expecting me."

The receptionist's doubtful glance swept over Niles' attire and his ring-less hand. "I'll have to check that with Miss Babcock, I'm sure you understand."

"Go ahead," Niles nodded, feeling the smile on his face twitch with impatience.

The man swiftly dialled a number and waited while the phone rang. "Ah yes, Miss Babcock, Marc from reception here. I'm sorry to disturb you but your husband has just arrived. Should I send him up or?" he waited and listened "Yes…yes…I understand, of course. Thank you."

Niles swallowed and glanced at the elevator, pondering if he could outrun the man if necessary.

"Miss Babcock would like me to remind you that you are no longer married and that she'd appreciate it if you wouldn't go around spreading preposterous rumours like that."

Niles groaned and opened his mouth to rebuttal, knowing that the man was only the messenger, but he was faster.

"She's in room 209, if you'd like to go up. That's on the 2nd floor, turn right once you step out of the elevator."

"Thank you," Niles nodded and started walking towards the room.

It was located right at the end of the corridor with the door slightly ajar.

"You're very funny, do you know that?" he asked upon entering.

"I didn't want the poor man to get the wrong idea, especially with Richard arriving in a couple of weeks." she answered, without bothering to look up from the book she was reading.

"Ah yes, I'd forgotten how much concern you usually show towards employees." he commented dryly, crossing the room and plopping down on the sofa by the window. "Good God!" he then exclaimed, taking a look around "Did your mother design this place?"

C.C. briefly glanced up, eyeing the frilly curtains and the flower print sofa he was sitting on and then quickly hid behind her book once more to conceal the smile that was tugging at her lips. "Please…my mother has a better sense of style."

"And probably also more money…" Niles muttered in agreement.

They both remained quiet for a moment before C.C. decided to cut to the chase. "I suppose Emily sent you?"

Niles shifted and made an effort to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "You can't just run out on her like that.  _I'm_  used to it."

"I assume she told you what she said? I don't expect you to agree with me but I think she was out of line." C.C. said, abandoning the book and with it her pretence.

"I do agree with you," he smiled a little "especially because I wasn't the one who left."

C.C. tensed, sitting up straighter but he continued before she had the chance to lash out.

"But running from her won't help matters. And if you'd disagree with me on  _that_ , we both know I wouldn't have even been invited up to your room. Emily's sorry, C.C. She didn't mean it. She's stressed and we're probably not helping matters…it's just unfortunate she'd had to inherit your hot-headedness." He grinned a little.

"I'm sorry…what do you mean  _my_ hot-headedness?" she challenged, setting her palms firmly down on the bed.

"Precisely that," he chuckled.

"You're the one that started attacking me last night," she reminded him.

"Yes and you're the one who couldn't handle it and lashed out in a very hurtful way…much like Emily. But neither of you mean it…at least that's what I have chosen to believe." He swallowed and averted his eyes, too embarrassed by the pain he still felt a day later "Though I will offer one more time to take the ring of you if you truly shouldn't want it."

C.C. had averted her eyes as well and was now staring past him and out of the window.

"It's in New York," she answered, which was the safest way to express how she felt.

"Very well then," he nodded "I think that Emily would love to go dress shopping with you if you'd manage to keep the disastrous predictions to a minimum." He rose to his feet and started walking back to the door. "Just give her a call, please, she's waiting to hear from you."

* * *

Early the next morning C.C. and Emily were on their way to Atlanta. The atmosphere in the BMW was uncomfortable at best. Both women had never found it easy to communicate and needed a third party to initiate a conversation. So while C.C. kept her eyes on the road and Emily kept hers on the landscape that they were passing, the radio blared out one pop song after the other. Eventually Emily glanced guiltily at her mother.

"You didn't have to do this…"

C.C. kept focusing on the traffic and shrugged. "I'm happy to do it…"

Then the pair plunged into silence once more. No further words were exchanged until they reached Atlanta and Emily was forced to help C.C. navigate her way to the store.

"It's a Bridal Warehouse?" C.C. asked, as they climbed out of the car.

"Don't sound so shocked," Emily rolled her eyes "we are on a budget."

"Not where your dress is concerned!" C.C. frowned.

"Mom…I'll only wear it once. What's the point in spending thousands of dollars?"

"I appreciate that you can be so pragmatic, darling, but trust me. You'll want to feel beautiful."

"You didn't?" Emily questioned carefully, afraid to approach the topic of her parents' marriage once more.

"Not particularly," C.C. chuckled a bit and placed her arm around her daughter's shoulder while they were heading towards the entrance "we were wearing hospital gowns and face masks…it was lunacy."

"I now understand why there aren't any photos around," Emily laughed and opened the door "but really, mom, I don't care that much."

"Well, I do," C.C. insisted "and I'll make sure my daughter gets the gown she wants."

Emily stopped and turned to peck her cheek for a moment and then approached a young woman who seemed engrossed in her magazine.

"Hi…I'm here to look at some dresses?"

"Oh sure, sure! I'm Annie!" the woman announced and happily abandoned her reading material "Is this your first time at our warehouse?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded.

"Okay, this is how it works. We have over a thousand gowns here so what we usually do is give you a catalogue to look at so you can pick a couple of favourites and then we'll bring them out for you to try on, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Emily smiled and glanced at her mom who nodded as well.

"Alright, ladies, follow me then," Annie said and ushered them over to a cosy couch "would you like any drinks? Water? Coffee? Champagne?"

"We'll have some champagne," C.C. decided and Emily turned to look at her.

"Isn't it a little early? And don't you have to drive?"

"Sweetie, there's something your dad's never taught you. It is never too early for a good glass of champagne. Besides, one glass won't kill me and we'll still be here for a while." She looked back up at Annie "Don't stand there hoping I'll change my mind. Go, go!"

The young woman seemed momentarily shocked to be addressed like this but Emily only shook her head at her with an apologetic smile and so she went off to fetch the drinks.

"Mom!" Emily then groaned, slapping C.C. on the wrist "You can't talk to her like that!"

"Why not? She's here to provide us with a service, warehouse or not."

Emily sighed and decided that there was no use in arguing and picked up the catalogue instead. "Oh God…there are too many…"

"Take your time, you'll find what you like."

A couple of minutes later Annie returned, timidly handing them their drinks. "And? Any favourites?"

"I like these a lot…" Emily answered, pointing to a handful of gowns.

"Let me get them delivered then."

One hour later, Emily had tried on so many different gowns that they were all starting to look the same.

"I give up…this really isn't worth it." she groaned, plopping down on the sofa next to C.C., unaware that she was wrinkling the precious fabric.

"I thought you were meant to be all excited about the wedding," C.C. teased her playfully and flipped through the catalogue once more.

"Well, I'm not anymore. Just pick one for me and let's get the hell out of here."

C.C. hummed wordlessly and then tapped a picture on the page. "What about this one?"

Emily reluctantly lifted her head and eyed it. "I dunno…isn't it a bit too Ascot?"

"You don't have to wear that hair piece with it," she shrugged.

"Alright…I'll give it a try. Annie? Could you bring out this one, please?"

The young woman who had picked up her magazine once more, quickly discarded it and went to make the arrangements. A couple of minutes later the dress had arrived.

"What's so funny?" C.C. asked when she could hear her daughter chuckle in the changing room.

"I'll have to cut out junk food if I still want it to fit in a couple of weeks. And I gotta learn how to walk like a lady. Grandma would get a kick out of this."

C.C. opened her mouth to comment but then hurriedly closed it again when her daughter emerged. She felt her throat go dry and much to her embarrassment tears pool in her eyes. The beaded bodice was suited perfectly to hug her daughter's small frame while the flare-trumpet skirt helped to obscure her height.

"Turn around," she ordered gently, noticing how her voice sounded a little hoarse.

Emily happily obliged and C.C. swallowed once more.

"It's perfect…" she cleared her throat "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Emily agreed, smiling broadly "like I said, I'll just need grandma to teach me how to walk properly so I won't fall on my face."

C.C. chuckled and got up and embraced her. "You're beautiful…"

Emily smiled and wrapped her arms around her. "Are you getting emotional, mom?"

"If you tell your dad about this I'll kill you."


	8. The Engagement-Shoot

Chapter 7:

"So you and your mother are good again now?" Matthew inquired the next morning, while they were still curled up in bed.

"Yes, I guess so," she shrugged "we didn't really talk about it."

"Then…how can you be good again?" he frowned.

"Oh sweetie, keep up…that's how it works with the Babcocks," Emily chuckled.

"Mmh…that actually explains quite a lot," Matthew hummed.

"Like what?"

"Well, if your parents had such bad communication it explains why they didn't manage to move past their differences." he laid out but she only rolled her eyes.

"Don't get all psychological on me."

"I'm not," he laughed "it's just common sense."

Emily nodded and rolled to lie on her back. "They never told me what happened that made them get a divorce. Whenever I asked them they just said that things didn't work anymore…my dad would point out that it was my mom who left and my mom would argue that marriages just aren't meant to work out. But I never got a concrete answer." She paused and glanced at him "Sometimes I think they both don't know anymore what happened to make them split up and that they're both regretting it."

Matthew shifted uncomfortably, pushing Jerry closer to the edge of the bed who instantly expressed his discontent by meowing in a rather disgruntled way. The conversation Matthew had had with his future father in-law was still fresh in his memory and when he heard Emily talk like that it suddenly made a lot more sense to him why Niles was so nervous to reveal the truth. Despite her age, he now realised, his girlfriend was still hoping for her parents to work things out. Suddenly it seemed vital that he informed her about Alice, to soften the blow before she could get any other ideas. But how could he possibly tell her? Her mood had been up and down constantly since they'd made the wedding announcement and sent out the invitations. Now that she finally seemed content he didn't want to upset her again. Nonetheless, he decided that it was time to suck it up and try to break that pattern before it appeared.

"So…you know yesterday your dad and I went for pizza?"

"How could I forget?" she grinned "I'm having the leftovers for lunch."

He chuckled but shook his head. "Can you keep your mind off the food for a few seconds?"

"I can only promise to try," she grinned.

"Fair enough…so I was having pizza with your dad and we were talking about the wedding and he-"

But the ringing of the phone stopped him from explaining things further.

"I'll get it," Emily announced and jumped out of bed and Matthew groaned, pressing his face into the pillow. Now he'd never find the courage again to tell her.

Meanwhile in the living room Emily had picked up the phone and sing-songed her name to the caller.

"Hi Em, it's me," the voice at the other end of the line said and Emily instantly froze "I tried calling you yesterday but nobody answered."

"Yeah we were uh…busy…" she answered quickly "How have you been, Eve? We haven't talked in a while."

"We're good…we were just wondering if Niles arrived okay?"

"Oh yeah…he's fine," she swallowed, waiting for the inevitable question.

"Jonah keeps saying it's rude but I'm just gonna come out with it. Are we invited to the wedding or not?"

"I'm sorry…I honestly didn't think to invite you or your parents. I mean, we were close when we were little and still together in LA but we kinda lost touch, didn't we? I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I didn't really think you'd mind that much."

"No…it's fine…really…" Eve replied with the kind of slow-releasing guilt she had learned from her mother.

"Nono…it's not…I wasn't thinking. I was focused on the budget and all the family members I…" Emily sighed and rubbed her face.

There was silence at the other end of the line which started to stretch on eventually. Finally, Eve spoke up again. "I actually just called coz Jonah knows this awesome photographer in your area."

"Oh yeah?" Emily asked, hoping that they had moved on to safer ground now.

"She's called Olivia and she specialises in weddings and parties and things…she's a little bit unconventional as well. So I just thought I'd let you know in case you hadn't hired a photographer yet."

"No we haven't yet. We'll definitely check her out. Thanks…"

"Is your cell number still the same? Then I'll text you the details."

"Yeah, hasn't changed," Emily nodded "listen, I still feel really bad about the wedding. How about you two fly over for bachelor party, huh?"

"We don't wanna mess with your budget," Eve replied but in such a way that Emily only started to feel guiltier.

"Nono, we definitely want you here. I'll let you know when we've booked the parties, okay?"

"Okay," Eve agree and after they had caught up a little bit more she hung up, grinning triumphantly at her brother "We're in."

In the meantime, Emily had set the phone down with a deep sigh and shaken her head.

"I didn't realise we were having a bachelor party," Matthew voiced, leaning in the doorway.

Emily glanced up and smiled a little at his dishevelled appearance, from the wrinkled sweatpants to the messy hair. "It is a wedding tradition…"

"Yes, but one you were completely against." he reminded her with a grin and then walked over to the kitchen to feed Jerry.

The cat weaved so quickly in and out of his legs that he almost tripped.

"Jonah and Eve are disappointed that they aren't invited to the wedding."

"Ah…so you had to fix the situation," Matthew nodded and ran a hand through Jerry's fur while he was greedily scarfing down food.

"Will you stop judging and get over here?"

"Alright, alright," he chuckled amused and then joined her on the sofa "I just want you to realise that this wedding is primarily about us and not about them, okay?"

"Okay," Emily nodded "on the bright side Jonah recommended a photographer to us. Someone who apparently doesn't just take these typical, corny family shots."

"Sounds interesting," he smiled "you wanna check it out?"

"Definitely," she grinned "I'm already picturing her coaxing grandma into taking a wacky photo."

"Poor woman…we should definitely give her a fair warning…"

"Rubbish, you've heard what grandma's like. She'll be able to handle herself."

"I wasn't taking about her," Matthew chuckled.

A week and a half later they had successfully contacted and met Olivia and agreed that she was a perfect fit. So it had come as no surprise that they had instantly set a date for an engagement shoot. It had also seemed a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with her working method before the actual wedding took place.

"Do you really think inviting your parents along was a good idea?" Matthew asked while they were getting ready.

"Definitely," Emily smiled and briefly glanced at him before continuing to rifle through the closet "mom knows good quality when she sees it and she might be able to haggle down the price for us."

"And your dad?" Matthew asked.

"Likes to feel involved," she shrugged.

"But that isn't really why you want them there, is it?" he challenged and Emily blinked.

"What do you mean?"

She tried to look as innocent as possible but her guilty expression was betraying her.

"You want them there because you're hoping that they'll bond or something crazy like that…"

"Why d'you call it crazy? He went to her hotel room, didn't he? And he came back in one piece? And mom had mellowed."

"So?" he challenged once more.

"So it means that they don't really hate each other. And maybe if I just give them a little push…"

"Em, your mom has been seeing someone for a while now and your dad…"

But once again he was stopped before he could finish his sentence, this time by a knock on the door.

"Could you get that?" Emily smiled and he nodded and trudged off.

"Ready to smile pretty?" Niles teased him the minute he opened the door and Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Don't start…Olivia promised she'd find a way to make it look natural and somehow when I look at her catalogue I do believe her but…maybe she just hasn't met her match yet."

Niles chuckled, patted his shoulder and entered the house. "C.C. not here yet?" he then asked, checking his watch.

"She's meeting us at the location."

"Ah yes, always eager to avoid social contact," Niles commented dryly.

"Emily is still searching the perfect outfit. Do you want something to drink while we wait?"

"No, I'm good, thanks. Don't want to give her any more reason to stall either."

"Who says I'm stalling?" Emily asked, appearing in a pair of comfortable shorts and a blue and white striped halter-neck top.

"I take it back," Niles chuckled "are we ready to go then?"

They all piled into his car and then started the 40 minute trip to the Oconee National Forest where the photoshoot was about to take place. Olivia and C.C. were already waiting for them when they pulled into Copelan Lake Road to park.

"Sorry," Emily said when she jumped out and first went to hug her mother and then the photographer "dad got lost once so it took a little bit longer than planned."

"Never allow him to try and navigate by himself," C.C. answered who – unlike her daughter – had chosen to wear a skirt and (much to Niles' delight) heels as well.

"Alright, you've had your one moment to shine now be a good girl and let the kids handle their things," Niles replied and tugged her towards him to make sure she wouldn't start meddling.

Emily mouthed a thank you at him and then walked towards the creek with both Matthew and Olivia to discuss their plans.

"Careful with your paws," C.C. muttered "you almost made me twist my ankle."

"That's not my fault," he chuckled "what on earth made you think that wearing pumps to a forest would be a good idea?"

"It's their photoshoot," she replied "I don't think we'll be asked to walk around a lot."

"Oh God I hope you're wrong," he commented, gleefully rubbing his hands together.

Then they both turned silent for a moment and watched the photographer work with their daughter.

"She isn't a natural poser…like you…" C.C. remarked eventually with an amused side-glance at him.

"We're lucky she didn't take after you…all the grace of a cow," he shot back, rolling his eyes playfully.

He could hear her gasp but could also tell that she was struggling to keep the smile off her face.

"Looks like they're going for a walk," she then pointed out with a reluctant sigh and they started to follow the trio, always keeping a safe distance, of course.

Despite his previous thoughts, he was quite amazed to see her navigating the pebbles as well as the forest ground with the same ease she'd navigated the sidewalks of New York. Every stride her long legs took was determined and after a couple of seconds he realised he'd become mesmerised by her movement once more. Praying that she hadn't noticed, he cleared his throat and directed his gaze elsewhere.

"Let's sit down," he eventually suggested when the trio had come to a halt once more and reaching for C.C.'s hand he led her down to the shore of the creek.

"You tire easily, old man," she grinned, leaning forward to open the clasp of her pumps.

"I don't…I'm just protecting our daughter."

"From what?" she laughed, placing the shoes aside and dipping her feet carefully into the cold water.

"From your perfectionism…you can't tell me that you aren't dying to go over there and check the photos they've taken so far and suggest other poses…"

"Hey, I'm not the yenta here…" she commented and he smiled.

"At least I'm only curious…you want to change things straight away…"

Her red nail polish glistened in the water.

"I just see things that need fixing and then I get on with it…"

He tilted his head and studied her profile, taking in the lines and wrinkles that were new to the face he had once known so perfectly.

"Not always," he then gently offered with a wistful smile.

She mirrored his movement, her forehead creasing into a frown and then she understood.

"Niles…"

The warning was soft and quiet but it was a warning nonetheless. He was about to approach dangerous territory but he couldn't help himself, not when she was as close to him as she hadn't been for several years and not when they interacted with such ease.

"I shouldn't have let you go…" the words were out of his mouth before he'd realised it.

"You couldn't have stopped me…" she replied "I did what was best for us…"

But her blue eyes that were usually so cool and distant, suddenly looked sad. He opened his mouth once more to list all of the reasons why her thinking was wrong, but was abruptly hit in the back of the neck by something wet and cold.

"Gotcha…" Emily called and chuckled, brandishing a miniature water gun.

"What are you doing?" he asked, tearing his eyes reluctantly off C.C.

"It was Olivia's idea to relax us…come on, mom, let's keep walking."

Niles sighed and then offered a hand to C.C. and as he did so they both exchanged a look that showed that they knew that another vital moment had passed.


	9. The Mother-in-Law

Chapter 8:

In the days following the photo shoot Niles kept trying to talk to C.C. but it was almost impossible to catch her alone. In fact, it became such a futile task that he was beginning to suspect that she was avoiding him on purpose. But he didn't let it deter him, if anything it only made him more determined to reach her. If she hadn't been experiencing the same feelings and if she wouldn't have similar thoughts and doubts, she simply would've shrugged him off. But avoidance, now that was interesting because she only avoided the things that made her feel uncomfortable.

With his mind made up, Niles strode confidently into the lobby of the Hampton Inn once more. He vaguely registered that the receptionist was opening his mouth but ignored him, figuring that it was probably just a greeting now that he knew who he was. And he'd already forgotten all about him by the time he stood in front of room 209 once more. Knocking, he quickly made sure his pants and shirt weren't wrinkled, and then smiled when she opened the door.

"Niles!" she looked surprised and a little bit nervous which he took to be a good sign, perhaps they were alone at last.

"Hi," he nodded "now before you close the door in my face, let me just tell you that I only want to talk to you. I know you've been avoiding me and I know it's because of what happened at the creek. C.C., we've never made things better by not talking…maybe it's time we tried to change that."

She didn't reply but he had known that it would take some convincing, so he continued to talk until the door behind her suddenly opened. A grey-haired man, wearing a matching grey cardigan stepped out from what appeared to be the bathroom.

"We have a guest?" he asked happily.

Niles and C.C. didn't make eye contact and no introductions were necessary to tell him that this was Richard.

"Yes," he nodded and forced himself out of this state of shock "I'm Niles, nice to meet you. I just came to see if C.C. perhaps was free and wanted to join me for a trip to our daughter's once more. There's nothing like terrorising your child, you know?"

It was as if someone was squeezing his windpipe, so that his chuckle came out in a high-pitched wheezing sound. If the other man was fazed by the sudden appearance of his girlfriend's ex-husband whom she was supposed to loath, he didn't let it show. In fact, his demeanour hadn't changed one bit.

"Richard's only just arrived," C.C. said but he chuckled and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"If you want to spend some more time with Emily that's alright by me. I've taken some course preparations along so I'm happy to wait here for you."

Niles wanted to retch.

"It's okay," he quickly said before C.C. had had the chance to respond "I know you two haven't seen each other for a while. I didn't know you'd be coming today. I'll see you later."

He forced another painful smile and then turned to go; he didn't want to see her reaction. The sound of the door closing came as a relief to him but he kept his eyes focused on the carpet nonetheless. He didn't even slow down when he heard it creak open once more; he wasn't properly paying attention either. It only took her voice to stop him in his tracks.

"Looks like you're too late…"

He froze and grew tense. That voice could only belong to one person and when he finally turned around he saw that it was indeed B.B. Babcock. Wearing a familiar smug little smile she managed to look less out of place than he'd imagined.

"Hello mother…" he greeted her with a fake smile.

"I've told you how I hate it when you call me that, servant." she commented and his grin broadened.

Being stuck in a wheelchair now had evidently not softened her one bit.

"Well, as lovely as this has been I've got some errands to run," he said and turned to head towards the lift again but her sharp voice cut through the air and hindered his progress once more.

"Liar, you said you were going to visit my granddaughter, though I suppose that was a lie as well." He heard the door close and then the soft squeaking of the wheelchair as she came closer. "I'm coming along."

He whirled around on the spot. "Don't you need Gustave? Don't you want your nice, fancy car?"

"Yours will do for now. As for Gustave?" she shrugged her bony shoulders "One servant is as replaceable as the next. Now let's hurry up a little, I could drop dead any moment…"

"And we're all rooting for you…" Niles muttered under his breath and then pressed the button to call the elevator.

* * *

They spent the drive over to Emily's house in silence which was something Niles was grateful for. He couldn't have put up with any more of her complaining or snide remarks about missed opportunities. So instead he tried to figure out a way to warn Emily about her grandmother's arrival but there wasn't one. But whatever feelings of empathy he experienced quickly disappeared again when he reminded himself that it had been his daughter who had invited the dreadful woman to her wedding. So surely she'd have to cope with her now as well.

"Perfectly horrid town," B.B. finally remarked when they had left the town centre behind and were headed for Cedar Drive "why she'd want to study in Georgia of all places."

"I'm surprised you allowed her to study at all...without meddling, I mean," he mumbled under his breath, thinking how much his ex-wife had had to fight for her right to study rather than settle down with some pre-determined husband.

"The world has changed," she responded loftily "and by that I don't necessarily mean for the better. Women these days are practically forced to earn a living as well because the men have become such whimps."

"Yes...I'm sure that's why."

"With her smarts she could've easily gone to an Ivy League College..." B.B. continued "of course they take a closer look at the family as well..." she paused and eyed him up and down with obvious disaste "but I'm sure I could've taken care of whatever shortcoming there was."

Niles began yearning for the moments of silence once more.

"I went to Oxford," he then reminded her through gritted teeth.

"And still became a butler," she hummed "that doesn't exactly speak for your intelligence now, does it?"

He gripped the wheel tighter and nearly slammed into Emily's car when they flew into the driveway. B.B. made a disapproving clicking sound with her tongue, then opened the door and waited for him to come round with her wheelchair. For a moment he contemplated leaving her in there to rant and rave but eventually he helped her out. Then he walked up to the front door, B.B. wheeling along after him and rang the bell.

"Hi dad," Emily smiled "everything okay?"

"I'm afraid I have a rather nasty surprise for you," he muttered and stepped past her into the house so she could see B.B.

"Grandma! You're here already!" Emily exclaimed, crouching down so she could wrap her arms around her.

"I see impending marriage has already taught you to fake enthusiasm...congratulations, my dear, that's the first step." B.B. remarked and carefully patted her granddaughter's back before withdrawing once more.

"Behave," Emily chuckled and pecked her cheek, without even looking the tiniest bit put-off "come in and meet Matthew. I'll get you something to drink in the meantime."

"My condolences," Niles mouthed to his future son-in-law and then secured himself a place on the sofa.

"Mrs Babcock," he tried with a polite smile and then offered his hand to her.

"It's Miss Babcock," she corrected him immediately "age doesn't always have to change your marital status."

"No...I guess not," he stammered and awkwardly withdrew his hand and then turned around to Emily for help.

"We're not done yet, young man." B.B. intersected and his head snapped back in her direction "Come closer...let me look at you."

Niles could see his adam's apple bopping when he swallowed and then carefully inched closer. When B.B. gestured again he clumsily crouched down in front of her.

"Mmh..." she hummed, inspecting him carefully "mmh..."

He didn't dare to move or glance at Emily once more.

"And what do you call this?" she finally asked, tugging painfully at a couple of strands of his hair that ran together into a ponytail.

"Um...hair?" he frowned.

"What grandma means to say," Emily commented, pushing a glass of water into her hands "is that she doesn't approve of the length of your hair."

"It is only appropriate if you're in a rock band and then you'd certainly not be a suitable candidate to marry my granddaughter."

"I...I'm not..." he mumbled.

"Well, that's a relief, I suppose." she smiled coolly "But it does mean that you'll have to get a haircut before the wedding."

"No, he doesn't," Emily rolled her eyes "he looks cool like that. It's the first thing that attracted me to him."

"First my daughter marries a butler and now this..." B.B. started but Emily interrupted her with a chuckle.

"You're dating your own butler, grandma. You're such a hypocrit."

Niles tilted his head, a grin forming on his lips. Could it be that his daughter had just caused B.B. Babcock to blush?

"Dating, Emily," she quickly replied "not marrying. Now it's common knowledge in the upper circle that butlers make excellent lovers but only a fool would choose to marry them."

"Don't let Gustave hear that," Emily grinned.

"Why not? The old fool would never dream of leaving me." B.B. replied but there was a fondness in her tone that Niles found both intriguing and repelling.

However, fearing that she might go into further details, he cleared his throat and said: "So Emily...is everything set for the bachelor party? When are the twins arriving?"

To his surprise, she shot him an angry look and shook her head. He was just about to ask why when B.B. opened her mouth and clarified things.

"A bachelor party?" she asked, her pale blue eyes flickering over to Matthew "For him as well?"

"Yes," Emily sighed.

"Now that's just plain dumb, girl. Men are simple creatures...easily led astray so there's really no need to tie a guide light around the tip of their cock that leads them to the best available prey before you're even married."

Matthew and Niles grimaced while Emily shook her head once more.

"Nothing is gonna happen, grandma. We'll just go out with a couple of friends for a few drinks. Besides, dad will be there too to keep an eye on him."

Matthew looked at him questioningly and Niles shrugged to indicate that this was news to him as well but chose not to question it at that moment. The ringing of the doorbell broke up any further discussion and Emily hastily got to her feet to answer it.

"Gustave," she smiled and hugged the old but smartly dressed butler "did you lose something?"

"Yes, she's developed a habit of slipping away," he sighed "just when I thought the chair might stop her."

"Keep dreaming, old man..." Barbara replied swiftly "if I can go Island hopping with you, I can certainly find a way to see my granddaughter."

"Of course," he smiled and stepped inside and placed a kiss to the crown of her head before she could swat him away "but now that you've seen her for a bit why don't we go back to the hotel and rest?"

"Yes, I suppose," she inclined her head with dignity "it is better to be well rested for a bachelor party."

"Bachelor Party?" Gustave asked with a chuckle and a brief glance at the others while he wheeled her to the door.

"Yes, Niles is chaperoning Matthew and so will you," B.B. instructed.

"But what about you?"

"Oh I'm sure Chastity will be delighted to push me around so we can join Emily's special celebrations."

And with a last apolgetic look from Gustave they disappeared out of sight.

"Good job, dad," Emily groaned and burried her face in her hands.


	10. The Bachelor Party

Chapter 9:

It was the weekend before the wedding and the preparation stress had completely caught up with Emily and Matthew now. They were very aware that they only had a couple of days to finalise the decor, visit the reception venue once more, give the relevant instructions and troubleshoot all the little things that could possibly go wrong.

"When are the twins landing again?" Matthew asked, glancing up from his sketch book.

Emily looked up as well to see what time it was. "In an hour...more or less..."

"Okay, and then they'll drive themselves here and stay at the hotel with your mom and grandmother?"

"Yeah...they've booked a room. I'll be sharing it with Eve tonight then after the bachelor party and Jonah will come back here with you."

"And your grandmother's boyfriend will stay with your dad?" he continued.

"Yes," she grimaced "and please don't call him that. Conjures up all kinds of images."

"Fair enough," he chuckled "can I say something? And don't shoot me?"

"What?" she frowned.

"I can't wait for the wedding to be over," he started but quickly added when her expression grew even darker "just because we've had so little time for ourselves and I miss you. I can't wait till it's just us again, you know?"

Her tense features softened again but he could still feel some apprehension when she scooted over and into his arms.

"I'm excited for the wedding," he mumbled, kissing her softly "don't doubt that."

"Okay..." she sighed and caressed the back of his neck "now...you finish your drawings and I'll go and pack for tonight, yeah?"

"And off she goes again..." he grinned and playfully patted her butt.

Emily chuckled but turned in the doorway and lifted up a finger warningly: "Don't let my dad catch you doing that."

* * *

Later in the evening the couple pulled up at the Hampton Inn. Emily had texted Eve when they had set off and so the twins were waiting for them in the parking lot. Tall, dark Jonah was towering over his curvy little sister and looked with his gelled hair, tanned skin and sunglasses distinctly Californian and decidely out of place. Eve, who was just as tanned and had applied a lot of make-up with great care, looked more demure with her jeans shorts and simple top. Both of them were exactly like Emily remembered them and so she exited the car, wearing a broad grin.

"Brought some glamour to the small town, huh?" she asked, hugging first Eve and then Jonah.

"What do you mean?" the latter one said, running a hand through his hair "Eve already made me tone it down."

Both girls snorted and then turned when Matthew joined them.

"So this is the guy, huh?"

"It would appear like it," Matthew answered with an amused grin.

Eve hummed a little and glanced quickly between her brother and him.

"Now I know why it didn't work out between the two of you. You're more into the artsy, hippie type." she then commented bluntly and everyone else froze.

"What?" Matthew asked a little bit puzzled.

"Eve has this obsession with me and her brother. We kissed once at the age of 9. Nothing to worry about."

"Ah," Matthew chuckled "shall we get going then?"

"Yes," Jonah nodded "let's let the girls get on with their chit chat and get this party started."

Matthew chuckled again and kissed Emily a last time, mumbling: "THis should be interesting." into her ear.

* * *

When the boys had left, Emily and Eve walked into the Hampton Inn and made themselves comfortable in her room.

"So how are you?" Eve asked, plopping down on the bed and kicking off her flipflops.

"I've had better weeks," Emily chuckled and stretched out as well "no...I really shouldn't complain. I just guess...well...when Matthew proposed and we decided to get married, I was like one of these girls in the movies. I was so in love and so excited and I kinda knew that it would come with a lot of organising but I was convinced we'd be able to handle it. We wouldn't be one of those couples that snap at each other and fight when the stress got too much."

"But ya did?"

"Yeah...I mean, looking at it now it's surprising how little we fought but...somehow I thought we wouldn't be this busy. I figured we'd plan things and then spend the next few weeks and months in our little love bubble. But in reality all I think about now is the wedding, what needs to be done still, what needs to be altered and Matthew even said he wants to have it over and done with."

"Ouch..." Eve grimaced.

"Yeah...a little..." Emily sighed "but I can't really blame him. It's been ca-ray-zy...and then both of my parents had the brilliant idea of arriving early."

"Yeah...how has that been?" Eve chuckled again.

"In terms of their interactions? Surprisingly okay. They got a little bit nasty on the first day but have been playing nice since. So that's been alright...it's just a bit annoying having them around all the time, dropping by unannounced. And of course dad had to blab about the bachelor party when grandma was around so now she's insisting on coming along."

"Wait...back up a minute...your grandmother is coming out with us?" Eve asked, holding up a hand.

"Yup...and my mother. And poor Matthew will be chaperoned by dad and Gustave..."

"Gustave?"

"My grandmother's butler whom she's sleeping with now...keep up," Emily said, waving her hand.

"Well," Eve snorted "there go Jonah's plans of pulling some girls tonight."

"It's not like my dad will be watching  _him_."

"That's maybe what you think," the brunette chuckled anew "Niles has always been fathering us...especially since you left for Georgia. He's dad's oldest friend...I just think he can't help himself."

"Yeah...he definitely has a helper syndrome..." Emily rolled her eyes and smiled.

"But never mind him for now. What's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, we're gonna get all dressed up and then we're gonna head over to Ricky D's...they have a Retro Cinema there...gonna watch a movie and then head to their bar afterwards for drinks and food and that's about it."

"That sounds cool," Eve said though her expression indicated otherwise.

Trying not to get annoyed by that, Emily put on a smile and quickly changed the topic. "So how have you and Jonah been?"

"Good...pretty average, really. I can't believe I'll be a senior next year and I don't even want to think about the workload."

"Ugh...don't go there," Emily waved her hand again and laughed "I've heard enough from Matthew about his Junior year to dread what's gonna happen next."

"Yeah well...Jonah was having such a hard time that he flunked."

"You're kidding?"

"No," Eve chuckled "but that was last year already. He had do redo the year and is about as far as you are now. But it wasn't coz of the workload...he's just lazy," she paused and laughed again "and too easily distracted by girls."

"That can't have gone down well with your dad," Emily commented and Eve shrugged.

"Not with my mom either. For a while he was so fed up with them that he just wanted to ditch his degree and hit the road. You know like Brighton did?"

"Yeah...I do get that," Emily smiled wistfully "I've been thinking about taking some time off once I'm done. Not sure how well my mum will react to that. But perhaps I could pass it off as some freelancing...writing travel blogs and stuff."

"Worth a shot," Eve shrugged "now we should probably get dressed. I've brought all my things to beautify you...which doesn't mean you're not pretty already..." she added hastily.

"Nice safe," Emily muttered with a grin and got off the sofa "mind if I quickly shower?"

"Go for it..." the older one smiled and began rummaging in her bag.

* * *

Both of them were just about ready when there was a knock on the door. A second later it got opened and B.B. Babcock wheeled inside.

"Lovely how you respect their privacy," C.C. commented who remained somewhere between the corridor and the room, shaking her head.

"If you give them privacy they'll only get silly ideas into their heads and will start keeping secrets."

"Yes, that's why I always told you every little detail about my life, mother." C.C. remarked dryly but sharply but B.B. ignored her.

"Speaking of silly ideas...who dressed you, a streetwalker?"

Emily frowned and tugged a little self-consciously at the veil that Eve had placed on her head.

"It's just a little bit of fun, Mrs. Babcock..." said girl spoke up and instantly had the attention of B.B. Babcock's cold blue eyes.

"Yes and naturally you'd know everything about  _fun_...what with your mother being a street girl from New York and all that scandal."

Eve arched an eyebrow and then chuckled and scoffed. "At least she'll never be a dried up old prune like you. Come on, Emily, let's get going."

Emily grinned a little and then grabbed her handbag and followed her friend outside.

"What a delightful start to the evening. Perhaps it would've been better if I would've stayed here with Richard." C.C. muttered and then manoeuvred her mother back out the door, closed it behind her and wheeled her down the corridor.

By the time they reached Ricky D's the atmosphere hadn't changed and while B.B. was making it very obvious that she was expecting an apology, Emily and Eve all but ignored her, greeted Emily's friends and then took their seats in the cinema. For C.C. the movie couldn't start soon enough, stuck as she was with her mother in the last row who kept muttering angrily to herself. But when C.C. glanced further down and saw Emily's friends handing her penis-shaped chocolate and other such items, she was suddenly glad that her mother was so pre-occupied. Lord knows what a fuss she would've made if she would've noticed it as well.

When the movie had ended and they had taken their seats in the nearby bar, the mood had lifted at least enough for them to enjoy a civilised meal (if you'd ignore the snide comments about the greasy food, of course). But then - a couple of hours and several drinks later - a young man stepped into the bar, looking around. When he spotted them he broke into a grin which he quickly wiped off his face once more.

"Did you girls order a package?" he then asked and C.C. realised what was about to happen though by the looks of it her mother and daughter didn't.

The other girls exchanged knowing looks and started to giggle and nod and before Emily had the chance to comment, the man opened the package he was holding to reveal an old school ghetto blaster, switched it on and began dancing sexily towards her.

"Who got me a stripper?" she shrieked, suddenly realising what was going on.

"That would be me..." Eve said with a smirk and a wink in B.B.'s reaction.

By the end of the evening 4 fairly drunk girls and their disgruntled grandmother got chauffeured back to the hotel while C.C. had agreed to wait for another taxi so that her mother had enough space in the first one. The air had cooled down around her but it didn't help to clear her mind...not from the thoughts that had been pestering her since the photo shoot at the creek. Glancing around a little guiltily she reached into her purse and pulled out a couple of loose cigarettes that she had hidden in one of the pockets. She had just managed to light it and taken her first drag when someone tsked beside her.

"I thought you had broken that nasty habit by now..."

C.C. startled and almost dropped her cigarette. "For God's sakes, Niles, lift your feet when you walk, will you? That old man shuffle nearly killed me."

He chuckled amused and shrugged. "I send the boys on their way home and was just driving by with Gustave when I saw you standing here. I figured you might be tempted by old habits and so I parked around the corner to pick you about before another poor soul will."

"Shut up..." she muttered and rolled her eyes.

"So why the cigarette? Didn't your night go well?" he asked, gently prying it out of her hands and stubbing it out with his shoe.

"I spent the night with my mother, Niles, how did you think it would go?"

"Ah yes...the old charmer's still got a punch or two in her." he sighed dramatically.

They remained in companionable silence for a while until he spoke up again. "So where is Richard?"

"Back at the hotel...I'm just waiting for my cab." she shrugged.

"Ah...that's surprising. You'd think a marshmallow like him would've fit in perfectly with the girls..." he sighed and spread his hands and then added "although even the girls have more bite than him."

But C.C. didn't take the bait and merely raised an eyebrow. "Are you done?"

"Done?" he inquired.

"Yes...done insulting my boyfriend?"

Niles snorted and shook his head before sobering. "Yes...yes I suppose I am."

They made eye contact that was broken when a car turned the corner and flooded them with its light.

"My taxi..." C.C. pointed out unnecessarily and turned to flag it down but Niles took her hand instead. "Don't..." she warned him yet again but he gently pulled her close.

"I miss you..." was all he said and before she knew what was happening he had pressed his lips to her temple and then drawn a delicate line down her jaw to the corner of her mouth."Goodnight..."

"Goodnight..." she returned still dazed and only noticed when the taxi had driven her out of sight that her skin was still tingling where he had touched her.


	11. The Rehearsal Dinner

Chapter 10:

"Emily, c'mon! We gotta go!" Matthew called, tapping the tip of his shoe impatiently against the front door.

"In a minute!" Emily called back and he groaned under his breath.

They really didn't have a minute. It was the day before their wedding and his family had finally flown in from Florida to join them for a run-through of the procedure and to invite them all out to dinner that evening. But having had Jonah and Eve visiting over the weekend and their college friends in town as well, there had been a lot of late nights and a lot less planning which apparently had come to haunt them now.

"I couldn't find my dress," Emily commented breathlessly while appearing in the living room and tying a sash around her middle.

"It's not your wedding dress...nobody would've known if you would've picked another one."

 _"I_ would've known," Emily contradicted stubbornly, frowning at him.

"Alright, alright," he lifted his hand to avoid an argument "so you have everything now?"

"Yes, I laid it all out for tomorrow so I don't have to worry anymore tonight."

"You made it Jerry safe, didn't you?" he checked.

"Of course," she chuckled "what do you take me for an amateur?"

"Fair enough," he grinned and then started ushering her outside.

"Do you have all of your stuff?"

"Yep...all in the trunk already."

"The presents too?"

"Yeah...I've got it all, don't worry." he smiled and pecked her cheek "Now get in."

Inside the car, Emily cranked up the music and together they drove to the second venue for the following day, where the officiant would hold the ceremony for the rest of their family and friends. Leaving their bags and presents in the car, they both clambered out and made their way to the main room, nodding and smiling at other members of staff as they went.

"Mom! Dad!" Matthew then called and waved at his parents.

Changing their direction, they walked towards a little alcove on the left instead to greet them. Matthew's father was tall and broad-shouldered, with neatly combed hair and glasses, while his mother was somewhat smaller and dressed in elegant but mismatched clothes over which she had draped a variety of necklaces.

"Oh hi kids," Lisa smiled and quickly enveloped both of them in her arms "let me look at you."

Matthew and Emily squirmed uncomfortably under her benevolent gaze and then were swiftly tugged into her arms once more. "You look good...healthy...not nearly as stressed as I was."

"I don't know," Martin interrupted with an amused grin "Matt looks plenty stressed to me. He doesn't have that chill vibe around him that he demonstrates when it comes to his studies."

"Dad," Matthew rolled his eyes but went to give him a quick hug in anyway.

"Just kidding," Martin chuckled "will your parents be here as well, Emily?"

"That's the plan," she nodded, looking around "maybe they're already inside."

"Yeah...let's go. I bet Mike's already wondering where we are."

And so the small group continued on to the main room where C.C. was indeed waiting for them, perched on the edge of a chair, engrossed in her book.

"Hi mom...sorry we're late," Emily greeted her and C.C. put the book away.

"Hi sweetie...your officiant's here as well. He just went to get a drink."

"Okay," Emily smiled "these are Matthew's parents."

She waited for them to exchange a few words and looked around in the meantime. "Have you seen dad? I'm sure I've told him to be here as well."

"Not yet," C.C. replied and then added when she saw her daughter's crestfallen face "I'm sure he just got lost on his way here again." She turned to face Matthew's parents once more. "My ex-husband is getting on a bit and his memory isn't what it once used to be." she explained, with an amused smile.

Lisa chuckled and Martin forced a polite smile that failed to hide the puzzled look on his face.

"My parents had...have this weird way of engaging with each other...it's mostly amicable..." Emily mumbled an explanation and then quickly straightened her back and smiled at the approaching officiant "Hello...thank you for coming down."

"Not a problem," Mike smiled "are we all ready?"

"Well, my dad isn't here yet," she sighed, taking another futile look around "but I guess he'll have to miss the beginning then."

"If you're sure?" Matthew and Emily exchanged a look and then nodded.

"Alright now...I understand that you want me to explain some of the town hall ceremony as well?"

"Yes, just so that our parents know..." Matthew smiled.

"Alright well," Mike started and walked to the top end of the room "the ceremony there will be pretty quick...about 15 minutes or so. They will ask you two inside, followed by your parents as you've requested and your bridesmaid and best man. Then they'll do the formal ceremony, ask your witnesses to sign and then you'll be legally married. You, Emily, will be standing on the left, flanked by your parents and Matthew, you will be standing on the right, flanked by your parents. And that's really it..." he chuckled "Now then...shall we have a run through of our more elaborate ceremony here?"

* * *

"I can't believe dad didn't show..." Emily muttered a couple of hours later when C.C. and her were driving to the Italian restaurant Matthew's parents had picked out for the dinner "do you think he's alright?"

C.C. briefly took her eyes off the road and hummed. She could understand her daughter's disappointment and her concern very well. Niles had never once blown her off and it was somewhat unlikely that he would start now that she was getting married. If C.C. was honest with herself (and that wasn't always easy to accomplish) she had to admit that she was disappointed too. Since their goodbyes had taken a somewhat surprising turn at the weekend she had been yearning to be near him again.

Spending time with Richard had been insufferable, in fact. He had been acting so painfully unlike Niles that his mere presence had annoyed her. So whenever he had been boring or slow or even just placid she had lashed out at him and unfairly punished him for something he couldn't and wasn't meant to change.

Her reaction had only annoyed her further because it demonstrated so clearly that despite her decision of leaving him several years ago because they were better off apart, something inside her obviously seemed to object. But of course with this realisation came all kinds of doubts. Perhaps her feelings had changed because they'd been separated? Perhaps it would all return to its harsh, painful reality if they were to try and be together once more? Perhaps it was just the physical attraction, the spark they were feeling? Perhaps...

"Mom?" Emily interrupted her thoughts and she snapped back to the present "Mom, I told you to take the next left!"

"Oh...sorry..." she muttered absent-mindedly "can I just go around the block?"

"Yeah...that should work," Emily smiled a little "is everything okay?"

"Yes...don't worry kiddo...just wondering where your dad is."

"Well, he knows about the restaurant so hopefully he'll turn up for the dinner at least."

"He will," C.C. tried giving her an encouraging smile "when has he ever turned down a free food opportunity?"

Emily chuckled a bit and nodded. "True..."

When C.C. averted her eyes her thoughts drifted back to the same topic once more. He had to be at the dinner, he just had to be. Because the only way she'd get an answer to her questions was when she had the chance to talk to him.

The room that they had booked at the restaurant was still fairly empty, except for her, Emily, Matthew and his parents and Clara, Emily's bridesmaid. C.C. left them to their chitchat and ventured to the bar instead to order a gin and tonic. From her vantage point there she could observe more and more people trickling in as the time ticked by. But there was still no sign of Niles.

Reluctantly she got up when she spotted Richard entering the room and went over to peck his cheek.

"Oh hello darling...I didn't see you there."

"I'm pretty good at being invisible," she mumbled and then took her seat at the table.

Throughout the starter she made an effort to make small talk both with her boyfriend and Matthew's grandmother who'd been seated next to her, but she still didn't miss the glances her daughter threw at the door. And whatever concerns or personal hopes C.C. might've had, were slowly beginning to turn into anger. How dare he disappoint their daughter so?

The waiters had just cleared the table and started to serve their main, when Emily's face finally lit up then changed into a frown. C.C. turned to look over her shoulder, knowing that it could only be him but froze as well when she saw that he wasn't alone. Wrapped around him and for C.C.'s liking entirely too close, stood a tall blonde.

"Dad?" Emily asked and the conversation at the table started to die down.

Niles rounded the group, practically dragging the blonde along who kept desperately clinging to him, and then gave his daughter an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry I'm so late, sweetheart," he sighed "Alice's flight was delayed so I had to rush to Atlanta to pick her up."

Emily looked about to nod but the confused expression still hadn't left her face.

"Alice?" she repeated, as if that was the only piece of information she had drawn from his explanation.

"Yes, hi, that's me," the blonde introduced herself and pressed two swift kisses to her cheek "I'm so excited to finally meet you. Your dad is so proud of you and misses you so much that he always kept you to himself when you were visiting."

The looks of betrayal on Emily's and C.C.'s faces were almost identical. Thankfully, Martin - who had not seemed to have noticed the awkwardness of the moment - decided to rise to his feet and greet them both as well.

"We're happy you're here now. Go on, go on, take a seat. You're just in time for the main."

People shifted and chairs were noisily dragged back to make room for the new arrivals and eventually C.C. found herself uncomfortably seated opposite Niles and Alice. For a couple of minutes she just went through the motions; she sipped at her wine and ate from her meal but in the end she couldn't even keep up that pretense anymore. Letting her fork rest on her plate she looked up and right at the woman, ignoring her ex-husband completely.

"So Alice, how did you meet Niles then?"

Richard smiled happily and politely as if his girlfriend hadn't just flung a question across the table with such venom that it could've gnawed through the wood.

"Oh you know," the young woman smiled and shrugged "we just bumped into each other in the supermarket one day."

"Ah yes...the most romantic of places," she commented dryly and then asked "was it in the "must go now" section?"

For a moment it looked as if both Niles and Emily were going to intervene but Alice only smiled somewhat puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

C.C. arched an eyebrow incredulously, her eyes almost drifting towards Niles as if to ask if he had really chosen this slow, simple creature as her successor.

"Well you know," she reluctantly explained "the aisle where they keep all the food that's supposed to go off that day? All the old meat that suddenly goes at a bargain price?" She added almost desperately when Alice still didn't seem to get it.

"Oh nono," Alice chuckled "it was at the vegetable corner."

"The vegetable corner," C.C. mouthed silently with a shake of her head and then took another sip of her wine.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Niles challenged, but his tone was clearly lacking in conviction.

"No...by all means," she spread her hands "you've always had a somewhat twisted idea of romance. A supermarket," she chuckled now as well and shook her head once more "you'd think you'd pick a place where you aren't instantly disadvantaged."

"What do you mean?" Niles now frowned and C.C. licked her lips before answering, clearly enjoying the fact that he had taken the bait.

"Well...standing next to a bunch of cucumbers and carrots that are bigger than your-"

"Toast! Toast!" Emily practically screamed "How about a toast, mmh?"

And she desperately nudged Matthew but it was Martin who came to her rescue.

"Yes well..." he muttered, rising to his feet with his newly filled glass of champagne "I'd like to toast Emily and Matthew on their upcoming nuptials. Son, I know we've had our differences in the past but you've won me over. Your studies are going well, your art has improved even more and you are so determined to make it that I have no doubts you'll be able to support yourself and your wife. Which brings me to my next point. Emily, you are an absolute delight. You're loving and kind but absolutely capable of standing your ground and as my wife pointed out, I'm sure you'll be able to train our Matthew further."

Most people at the table chuckled, even B.B. Babcock who'd otherwise been busy keeping an eye on her daughter and her former son-in-law.

"Here's to your wedding, kids, and to our great families becoming one. We wish you all the best for the future!"

Agreeing murmurs accompanied the last sentiment and everybody lifted their glasses and took a sip as well. Then C.C. rose to her feet, determinedly clutching her wine.

"Many of you will know that I'm not exactly a wedding advocate. I've watched my parents' marriage turn messier and messier, I've watched them screwing around with other people and then screwing themselves over for money. So when Niles here," she paused to point at the butler who kept his gaze glued to the table and his face shielded by his hands "got it into his head that he wanted to marry me, I thought it was some kind of sick joke. Which is kind of funny because that's what our marriage turned out to be later on. Actually, come to think of it, it  _is_  fitting in a way because the only thing Niles and I ever had in common was humor and pranks. And even then he never know when he'd crossed a line. Luckily for me, I got one good thing out of that horrible if also shortly-lived marriage. My daughter Emily. I have no idea what I did to deserve someone like her but she has never once failed to make me proud. And Matthew, of course, has quickly learned to adapt to her, has learned that it's better not to meet her wrath which, I suppose, is a good thing if he really wants to spend the rest of his life with her."

Some people chuckled once more.

"So as doubtful as I am, I wish for the both of you that your marriage turns out just the way you picture it and I really, really hope that Matthew won't turn out to be such a lying piece of shit as my ex-husband."

And while everyone froze in horror, C.C. lifted the glass to her lips, emptied it in one big gulp and then determinedly strode out of the room.


End file.
